Fruit of the Labyrinth
by Purely Superficial
Summary: After Sarah's first bite of the enchanted peach, she craves the goblin fruit every 13 days. Friends, old and new, do everything in their power to save her, but who really holds power over Sarah's life?
1. Chapter 1

_We must not look at goblin men, We must not buy their fruits. Who knows upon what soil they fed their hungry thirsty roots?—Goblin Market, by Christina Rossetti_

_

* * *

_Sarah was delirious. The hospital doctors were uneasy about her condition. She had tested positive for the Epstein-Barr virus, but the fever was higher and lasting far longer than they would have liked. Complications with mono this severe were uncommon. They were running blood tests to see if there was a secondary infection or preexisting condition. So far, they'd found nothing. She was intravenously receiving acetaminophen to bring down her fever and corticosteroids to reduce swelling in her spleen. She was trembling from cold and kept asking nurses for blankets, but they gently refused her.

At least her father and step mother weren't around anymore. When the doctors had delivered their diagnosis of mono, her step mother had immediately demanded from Sarah where she could have contracted the "kissing sickness." The doctor had firmly informed the irate woman that the virus could be transmitted by a sneeze left on a school desk, and that most high school graduates had overcome the virus at one point or another.

Sarah cracked her parched lips and whispered, "I wish Hoggle and Didymus and Ludo where here."

Instantly, her three friends surrounded the bed, looking concerned.

"You called, fair maiden," said Sir Didymus. "Are you in distress?"

"Sarwah hot," moaned Ludo, one large and rough finger brushing her cheek with infinite tenderness.

"I'm actually freezing," Sarah replied with a shaky smile.

"Are you all right?" Hoggle wanted to know.

"Now that my friends are here, I'll be fine," she assured them. "I just missed you so much."

"Are they treating you well, my Lady?" Sir Didymous demanded.

"The doctors here are wonderful," she said. "They're just not sure what's wrong with me. Take my mind off things. Tell me about the underground," Sarah asked.

The three Labyrinth dwellers exchanged glances.

"All is quiet," Sir Didymus replied.

"No one has been in or out," Hoggle grumbled.

"Maze lonely," growled Ludo. "Sarwah take fun away."

She smiled a little sadly at that. "But I had to save Toby," she rasped. Then she asked a question that, had she not been out of her mind with fever, would never have crossed her lips. "How is he?"

"The king?" Didymus asked, surprised. "He has sequestered himself in his castle, my lady. No one sees him these days."

"I hope...he's not..." she sighed. She felt so tired, even though she was so cold. Her eyes drooped.

"Don't worry about that snake," Hoggle ordered gruffly. "You just get rest and get better." He nodded to his companions.

"Buh-bye, Sarwah," Ludo said as he faded away.

"Rest well, my lady," Didymus said with a bow before he too disappeared.

"If you knew what that wretch did to you, you wouldn't worry about his feathery head none," Hoggle harrumphed. He reached in his pocket and pulled out an all-too-familiar shape. A peach. Shaking his head, his heart aching with shame, he took out a small knife and cut a thin slice for Sarah. He slipped it between her lips, praying she would take it. Sarah was almost unconscious with fatigue and sickness, but she reacted to the sweet, tender fruit and ate it with barely a flutter of her eyes.

Then she sighed, almost happily. Her cheeks flushed and her limbs stopped trembling. Hoggle let out the breath he'd been holding and replaced the peach and knife in his pockets.

"Damn you, Jareth," muttered the dwarf for a second time as he too faded into nothing. "And damn me, too."

When the nurse came back, Sarah's fever had broken. She called the doctor, who inspected Sarah's vitals, relieved that his patient had finally overcome the virus. But it was odd, when he'd inspected her throat for signs that the swelling was going down, did he smell peaches?

* * *

Hoggle returned to the royal garden, tears in his eyes. If only Sarah hadn't won the right her freedom, she wouldn't be craving fae food now. If only Jareth hadn't forced Hoggle to give her the first peach, this addiction wouldn't have started in the first place. If only Sarah had never set foot in the labyrinth, she'd be safe. Hoggle took the peach out of his pocket and threw it into the compost heap. She would waste away and die unless he could supply her with fresh fruit every 13 days. Worse, he couldn't get it to her unless she called him.

He desperately wanted to tell someone, so that he wouldn't have to bear this terrible reality by himself. But he was afraid that if Jareth found out he still had a hold on the girl, he would exploit it. Besides, no one else had access to the trees in the royal gardens.

He held his aching head in his hands. "Damn, damn, damn..." he moaned. She would hate him for deceiving her again. Once, she could forgive, but twice? Thrice? Every time he brought her some fruit and tricked her into eating it, it would be another betrayal. No one deserved more chances than Hoggle had been given.

Hoggle didn't even want to tell Sarah of her own condition. She might refuse the fruit on principle, thinking it was a trick or like a normal human addiction. Hoggle knew she couldn't overcome her craving for it by abstaining like a junkie might. The first peach had started to change her, and that tiny change had taken root deep in her body and soul. Without the fruit of the Labyrinth to sustain it, it would die and then she would die.

He couldn't let that happen. As heartsick as giving her the fruit made him, he would lose the will to live if his best friend died. Deep down, he was just as selfish as Jareth.

* * *

Sarah was feeling ill again. The ominously familiar trembling and sweating were starting. Soon, she'd be too weak to stand. She hated that her body was so fragile. And that she would relapse now, of all times! She was moving today, Bog take it!

She almost ran to her sparsely stocked fridge and grabbed her special super-vitamin-anti-oxidant juice. It was bitter and muddy, but it usually helped her feel better. She just took a swig straight out of the bottle. Almost immediately, she felt the shakes and chills back off. She sighed, hating the aftertaste but grateful that the juice had worked this time.

For the last five years, she'd been in and out of the hospital. She'd been poked, prodded, swabbed, medicated, and examined over and over until she was afraid to visit even the dentist. Not that she had a need to visit the dentist more than twice a year for cleanings. In every other aspect of her life, her health was perfect. Clear skin, regular digestion, no cavities, not even so much as an uncomfortable callous on her foot. But every once in a while, she would get jittery, like she'd had too much coffee, and start sweating and shaking with fever and chills. There had been several times where the doctors were certain she would die of an unknown ailment, and she had called her Labyrinth friends to her to say goodbye, only to wake up the next morning healthy and whole.

Her frequent health troubles had caused her to drop out of drama classes in high school. In a round-about way, it had been a blessing. Unable to act out her dreams, she'd written them down instead. Her father had mentioned her writings to a friend, who mentioned them to another friend, who asked for a copy of the whole manuscript and in return offered a publishing contract. At the age of 16, Sarah had become a published author. At the age of 17, her one-hit-wonder had reached success on an international level. At the age of 18, she received the substantial royalties from her book that her father had put into a trust for her higher education.

She was currently attending university, but doing so online so that any emergencies would have a minimal impact on her GPA. She was pursuing a double major in biology and literature. The literature part was her way of keeping fantasy legitimate in her professional life. Biology was another escape, hopefully to some remote jungle or reef, where she could get away from mundane life and regain that independent feeling she'd had during the thrilling race through the labyrinth. She was still writing, naturally, but nothing seemed quite right yet, despite her editor's insistence that every word she wrote was gold. Sarah always felt like she was cheating a little, since her friends from the Labyrinth regularly visited and inspired her.

Sarah had accepted a summer internship-and-scholarship at a wildlife control station in the Rocky Mountains. She'd probably just be filing paper stuff and shoveling poop stuff, but it would be away from her over-protective parents. Plus, $4000 scholarship for 8 weeks of stuff didn't hurt either. She'd always believed in taking every opportunity and advantage. After all, that was how she'd beaten the Labyrinth.

She would miss her family, especially Toby, of course, but she needed space. It had been like pulling teeth to declare her independence enough to rent a studio apartment 2 blocks from her parents' house. Now her lease was up and a new adventure waited.

Sarah whipped out her black sharpy marker and labeled her last box. Done. With packing at least. Soon her friend Eric would be over with his pickup truck, and they could take most of her stuff to storage. The few moments she had left she wanted to share with friends.

"I wish Hoggle, Didymus, and Ludo were here," she said softly, and that quickly her friends appeared from behind boxes.

"Fair maiden!" cried Didymus, whacking one of the boxes with his sword. "Art thou trapped by these flimsy, hollow blocks?"

"No, no," Sarah laughed. "I'm just moving. I wanted to spend some quality time with my best friends. I'm taking a job in the mountains, so I don't know how often we'll be able to see each other."

"Why? What do you mean?" blustered Hoggle.

"I'm going to be sharing a tiny cabin with another intern, and I don't know how she'll react to a crotchety dwarf, a knightly fox, and an orange Sasquatch spontaneously appearing our living space every few nights," she explained, her voice affectionate.

"Sass-kwatch?" rumbled Ludo.

"And I got you all gifts so you wouldn't forget me!" Sarah announced. She held up three gift-wrapped boxes.

"Pweh-sants!"

"My lady, you are generous to a fault," Didymus said with a bow.

"Why'd you go and do a thing like that," Hoggle moaned grumpily.

"Ludo, here's yours." She passed him a large, flat box. "Didymus, here you go. And Hoggle, something for your collection. Well, go on. Open them!"

Ludo opened his to reveal a small quilt. Well, it was small compared to his lumbering bulk. "So soft," he growled appreciatively.

"I made it myself out of scraps from my old costumes," she said.

Didymus opened his box and barked with delight. "A medal of honor!"

She blushed at his enthusiasm. It was really just a Celtic knot tie tack that reminded her of the Labyrinth. "I thought it would look nice on your lapel."

"Would you do the honors, my lady?" the knight asked, offering Sarah the box. Sarah obligingly took the ornament and pinned it to his vest over his valiant heart.

"Aren't you going to open yours?" she asked Hoggle.

Hoggle was dismally turning over his box. "You shouldn't have," he grumbled.

"I saw the pocket watch and thought of you. It's kind of old, but it has a vine engraved on the front. I thought it was perfect for a gardener," she said encouragingly.

He just shook his head and turned away.

"Hoggle, what's wrong?" Sarah asked softly. The dwarf hunched his shoulders away from her, refusing to answer. Sarah, bewildered, started to babble. "It's not like we'll never see each other again. I still need you, Hoggle. I'll always need you. You're my friend."

"Some friend," he muttered mournfully. She couldn't know that every word meant to comfort him was like a knife stabbing his heart. He turned back to her and pushed a small wooden box into her hands. "Take this," he ordered sharply. "But promise you won't open it unless you get really sick again."

"What is it?" she wondered.

"It's not pleasant," he promised her. "So don't open it unless you really, really need it."

"Hoggle, you are so sweet," she said and dropped to one knee to give him a hug. The dwarf stiffly returned the gesture, uncomfortable with what he had just done. If she didn't call them back before another two weeks were up, he wouldn't be able to slip peach juice into her health drink. Years ago, when she'd told her friends that she was trying everything to stay healthy, including the bitter extracts of strange fruits and vegetables, Hoggle had seen his opportunity to supply Sarah with the essence of the fae-fruit without her knowing. Now, with her new job and living arrangements, there was no guarantee he'd be able to maintain his deception. So he had done what he could. Inside the peach-wood box was a whole peach, and it would stay magically preserved there until she removed it. Hopefully, if she fell ill and couldn't call them, she could save herself.

A car horn beeped outside.

"That's Eric," Sarah exclaimed. "Thank you so much, all of you, for everything." She hugged Ludo and Sir Didymus. "I'll invite you back as soon as I'm able, I promise." Then her friends quickly said their goodbyes and disappeared behind the packed boxes.

"Knock-knock!" called a suave, tenor voice.

"Come on in!" Sarah called back.

"Woah, you building a fort in here?" Eric asked with a laugh.

"Oh, shut up and help me move already," Sarah replied teasingly.

"Alright," Eric clapped his hands together in anticipation. "What's going to storage? What's going with you? What's breakable? And what's bendable?"

"I'm taking that small pile over there," she gestured to a stack of suitcases. "Everything else goes into storage. And if you see any box that says _fragile_ in big black letters, please don't use it to hackey-sack."

"I said I was sorry about that," he sighed. "One little slip with a crystal ball…"

"You kicked it out the window and it shattered on the front porch," she reminded him. "I still haven't been able to find a replacement." Not that she had looked. Even though the regularly spent time with her friends from the Labyrinth, she did everything physically possible to keep out that one dark figure that still crowded into her dreams.

"Ok, ok," he raised his hands defensibly. "I solemnly swear I will not play hacky sack with anything labeled _fragile._ The kitchen pots are still game, though, right?."

Sarah giggled. Eric was so easy to get along with. And cute too. He had sandy brown hair, soulful brown eyes, and a coastal tan. He was always so relaxed and mellow. He had transferred to her high school in junior year from San Diego, broke her crystal during a study group, and had spent the rest of the year as her self-proclaimed indentured servant the rest of the year to make up for it. They'd been best friends ever since. She was really going to miss his near-constant company during her internship.

But it was an adventure she was long overdue for.

They loaded up Eric's truck and drove to the self-storage facility. After stacking all the boxes in her small rental space, they drove back to the apartment and picked up her luggage. She grabbed her last food stuffs from her refrigerator and put them in a grocery bag to nibble on during her trip. Then she dropped her keys in the resident manager's mail box, and they drove to the bus station.

Eric parked his truck and took a deep breath.

"So, I want to give you something. You know, to remember me by," he said a little hesitantly.

"Aw, but I didn't get you anything," Sarah replied gently.

He shook his head. Then he dug into his large carpenter-pants pockets and pulled out a long, slim jewelry box. "Here," he said simply, and passed it over to her.

Sarah cracked the lid and gasped. Inside was a beautiful bracelet of silver set with sparkling white crystals. The centerpiece was an amethyst iris, a flower of courage and friendship. "It's beautiful," she breathed, "But…?"

"I was hoping that after you got back from the Rockies, we could catch a movie or something," he babbled, blushing furiously.

"Sure," she replied. "But we do that anyway. You don't have to give me a present like this for something like that."

"Actually, I was hoping it could be more like a date," he mumbled. "Like, you know, boyfriend and girlfriend."

Sarah was stunned for a moment. In all the years they'd been friends, she'd hardly let herself daydream that Eric might be romantically interested in her. They fought like brother and sister, shared everything, talked openly about anything—in fact the only thing Eric didn't know about was Sarah's trip to the Labyrinth.

"I didn't know…that you felt that way," she said softly.

"If you don't want to, that's fine. I don't want to mess up what we have," Eric quickly backtracked. "I think we make great friends. But I think we might be good at something more…too."

Sarah's smile made her whole face glow with happiness. "Eric, I can't think of anyone else I'd like to go to a movie with—as best friends or as boyfriend-and-girlfriend."

He perked up, hopeful. "Really?

In response, she kissed him full on the lips. It was a bit awkward at first, because she'd never kissed anyone before and he was so surprised. But it quickly softened into a toe-curling, romantic kiss. Not a French kiss, because Sarah had used up all her courage as it was. But very, _very_ enjoyable.

"Really," she whispered against his mouth when they finally broke for air.

"Turn—" Eric croaked, his voice rough from passion. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Turn over the bracelet."

Sarah opened the box and took out the bracelet, She turned it over to see, delicately etched on the back of the flowery centerpiece, _If you need me, just call._ Her heart melted.

"I wanted you to know, even when you're deep in the mountains, that if you need anything, I'd be just a phone call away. I'd drive up to rescue you, or just bring you a decent cheese burger—anything you need," he said as he drew the bracelet out of the box and deftly secured it around her wrist. He looked a little embarrassed as he hinted at his deeper feelings.

"Eric," Sarah sighed. "You don't have to promise me the stars or anything. When I get back, we'll just enjoy our time together in a different way. Let things grow naturally."

He smiled crookedly. "Guess that's best. You know, it's rather cruel of you to kiss me before you head out into the mountains for two months. I'll miss you even more now."

"Should I have crushed your heart with a flat refusal instead?" she countered. "Because I can still do that you know."

"No, no. That's ok," he laughed.

"Really? I have a whole speech ready to go and I could throw the bracelet in your face too. Maybe even slap you for kissing me," she teased.

"You kissed me," he said defensively. "Let's get that straight."

"You're right. I did." And she kissed him again. "If it makes you feel any better, I'll be just as lonely without you."

"Maybe a little," he admitted. Then he took the initiative and kissed her.

Finally, Sarah broke away. "Ok, I'm leaving now. Because missing this bus and loosing this scholarship is not a good way to start this relationship."

Eric nodded. "Alright. Go do whatever you need to do. Call me one in a while, so I know you're ok?" his eyes were pleading. She knew he was genuinely worried about her health. Of all her friends, including her Labyrinth comrades, Eric had visited the most when she was in the hospital, and worked the hardest to keep her spirits up. She realized that it would be a nightmare for him if she got sick somewhere he couldn't reach her.

"You will be duly updated," she promised.

"Then go, before I trap you in my truck forever," he mock-threatened. Sarah gave him one quick peck on the cheek before quickly exiting the cab. She pulled her suitcases out of the truck bed and hurried over to the loading station. She gave her larger suitcase to the driver, who expertly fit it in between the other passengers' suitcases. Then she boarded the bus, but she couldn't resist a look back.

Eric was watching her, his knuckles white with the force of his grip on the steering wheel. She blew him a kiss and then got onto the bus. Her heart ached like it hadn't in years. It stunned her how a friendship had naturally flowed into something more profound, and suddenly she wanted to leap off the bus and into his arms. She shook herself and forced her butt to stay on the bus seat. She had to move forward, and she'd be back with him soon enough. Already her fingers were tracing the iris of her bracelet like it was a good luck talisman.

* * *

"Well, well, Hogwart!" a sardonic voice crooned. "You have been wicked, haven't you?"

Hoggle whirled around to face the Goblin King. The blond, leather clad man was casually leaning against a low broken wall that seemed to grow out of the garden as if it were a plant and not a pile of rubble.

"I ain't done nothing," the dwarf squeaked.

"No, you haven't done _nothing._ You've done something," Jareth leered. "Something against the law of the Underground."

"No such thing as law in the Underground," Hoggle grumbled.

"Come, come, Hedgehog," Jareth waved a hand imperiously.

"It's Hoggle!" Hoggle interjected out of habit.

"You know very well there is a law here," snapped Jareth. "I am that law. And I say you have committed the crime of theft! I should tip you into the Bog of Eternal Stench right now for your treachery."

"Do what you will," Hoggle challenged in a flair of chivalry. "I won't be part of your games no more. I do my job, and that's that."

"Your job is whatever I tell you to do," Jareth replied, his voice venomous syrup. He reached out as quick as a snake and grabbed one of Hoggle's large ears. The dwarf shrieked as he was pulled painfully off balance. "And right now your job is to tell me why you've been smuggling my peaches to the world above."

"I'll do no such thing!" Hoggle cried, his stubby fingers trying to pry open Jareth's grip.

"Oh yes you will," snarled Jareth with a twist of the dwarf's ear.

"Owowow!" screamed Hoggle.

"Tell me!" Jareth commanded. "Who do you give the peaches to? Some exile? Some ugly female wart? _Who_?"

"I won't do nothin' to hurt her again," Hoggle gritted out between uneven teeth.

Jareth flung the dwarf to the dirt. "_Her?_ What _her?_ There hasn't been a _her_ here in…" Hoggle moaned as he saw the light of mischief flicker behind Jareth's eyes. "You've been giving _Sarah_ fae fruit?"

"She would have died without it!" Hoggle cried in his defense, miserable that his deception had been found out. He sat up and cradled his head in his hands.

"So she still craves the peach," Jareth mused to himself considering. "I should have known. But that a little scab like you would dare to give her the fruit—and on a regular basis I assume."

Hoggle just turned away.

"Yes, I see it now. You come every fortnight brandishing a golden peach, and she happily accepts your present, her next _fix_. Perhaps she even gives you a kiss," Jareth mocked him.

Hoggle took a shuddering breath but said nothing.

Jareth looked at him with new interest. "Oh, no. Don't tell me—she doesn't even know?" Hoggle shook his head. "My, my, this is a delightful little setup. She doesn't even know!" he laughed delightedly, menacingly. "You will inform me the next time you bring her a gift." With that final royal command, he was gone.

Hoggle just sobbed. This was all going horribly wrong. But then what did he expect? This whole charade had been a disaster in the making.


	2. Chapter 2

_"Profits on the exchange are the treasures of goblins. At one time they may be carbuncle stones, then coals, then diamonds, then flint stones, then morning dew, then tears."_

_~Lope de Vega_

_

* * *

_

Sarah tried to zone out for most of the bus ride. It was long and bumpy, perfect for getting motion sick if she tried to read. So she put in her ear buds and listened to music on her iPod. Curiously, she found herself skipping a lot of songs because they reminded her of Eric. Finally, the bus stopped at a neglected station and she got off.

One other girl got off with her, and they looked for their ride. A woman in a forestry service uniform with dirty blond hair and a dirtier green truck waved at them. The truck bed was already half full of duffle bags and suitcases. Three other interns, two boys and another girl, sat on the tailgate, looking bored to tears.

Sarah smiled at them all, but before they could talk much, the woman hustled them into the truck, and from there it was a desperate rollercoaster ride up rocky paths that couldn't even be considered "roads" in an Amish community. Despite Sarah's determined examination of the horizon, she nearly threw up several times. Only her steel will, which she had discovered and honed in the trials of the Labyrinth, kept her stomach contents where they should be.

Finally, they reached the ring of cabins at the top of the mountain. It would have been anticlimactic to realize that _this_ was where she would be spending the next two months, but she could barely stand up, let alone see strait, when she stumbled out of the truck. Her fellow interns were in similar states. One of the girls rushed to the side of the road to throw up.

"Best get it out now," the driver said with a smile. "Once we put your things in your bunks, we're heading straight for the animal enclosures. That's when you'll really want to chuck."

All the interns groaned as they extracted their bags from the truck bed. Ranger Anne, their driver and guide, showed them to the rundown cabin that was to be their home for eight weeks. The building was divided in half, one side for boys and one side for girls, four bunks and one bathroom on each side. The two boys quickly claimed their beds, and the girls all looked at one another, trying to gage who would be the odd one out on the top bunk. Finally, Sarah sighed and threw her duffle bag on the top. No sense in starting an estrogen war over it--it was likely that all the mattresses were equally uncomfortable.

Then Ranger Anne lead gave them a quick tour, from the main lodge to the wildlife study facilities.

"We take in wounded animals, keep them until they can fend for themselves, and then release them a few miles away," Ranger Anne explained. "It gives us the opportunity to examine them and tag them for further study. You'll each learn about every animal, but you'll probably pick up a specialty. Now, here is the wolf enclosure. We have two females that will be shipped to Yellowstone at the end of the week. Over here, we have a bear cub who needs another 6 months of care. Small mammals are here, and this," she gestured to a building that had a huge--for lack of a better term--cage attacked to one side. "This is our aviary. We take in eagles, hawks, owls, ravens--you name it. We actually have some rare birds at the moment. Want to see?" she invited excitedly.

The interns all nodded. Sarah was a little hesitant. She didn't like owls as a rule, but she could hardly refuse to clean their cages now that she was here. So all 5 of them followed Ranger Anne into the aviary. Even though the facilities were primitive, the birds were beautiful. There were two golden eagles, a red-tailed hawk, a bald eagle, two kestrels, a tiny pigmy owl, a great horned owl, and two turkey vultures.

"We had a condor in here last year," Anne said proudly. "As you can see, we usually take the more aggressive birds of prey and let local centers handle the Canadian geese and songbirds. Oh, just so you know, Gretel--the larger of the turkey vultures sitting on that cement slab--has a pair of eggs. So she will be very testy and likely to take off any fingers offered to her."

"What are you going to do with the eggs?" one of the boys--Nate, Sarah thought his name was.

"Well, hopefully we'll be able to coax her off the next in a few days, and then we'll put them in an incubator and we can hand raise them," Anne explained.

"Why not let the mom take care of them?" A girl--Rachelle--wanted to know.

"Mom would only feed the strongest of the two," Anne replied frankly. "Survival of the fittest and all that. But since they're on the upturn from the endangered list, we want both chicks to survive."

"Isn't that doing the species a disservice?" the other girl demanded. Sarah didn't know her name, but instantly disliked her tone of voice. The girl continued, "I mean, if you coddle the weak babies, doesn't that let inferior genetics flourish in the species?"

"That is one point," Anne said, her voice filled with infinite patience. "But we feel that natural selection can take over after the species is established. Otherwise, we'd lose the beautiful creatures completely."

"Beautiful?" the girl muttered, low enough that Anne couldn't hear the contempt in her voice. She turned to the cage holding the pigmy owl. She poked one finger between the bars and cooed in a high-pitch voice, "Aren't you a cutie-patootie?"

The pigmy owl lunged at her with a hiss. She screeched and jumped backwards, knocking into Rachelle and Nate. The owl hissed again, puffing up his feathers, trying to make his 6 inches as intimidating as possible. Sarah laughed out loud.

"A warrior of the highest order," she chuckled. The owl turned from berating the girl to look at Sarah with something like adoration in his eyes. He hooted softly, and pushed his head into the cage bars as if he were a parakeet begging for a scratch.

"I would have thought it went without saying that sticking your fingers in the cages of these _wild_ birds was a bad idea," Anne said, for the first time losing her brisk enthusiasm. She almost sounded condescending. Sarah decided against giving the little creature a tiny scratch, even though the little owl was trying so hard to get her attention, just because it would be a bad idea to contradict the ranger on the first night. Then Anne clapped her hands together to break the mood. "Alright, supper time. Then lights out."

Dinner was unremarkable. Sarah knew she could have made the chicken and biscuits with gravy much better if she had been in charge, but at least it was edible. There was peach cobbler for desert, but Sarah declined and excused herself to her bunk. As the first girl back to the cabin, she was able to pick the first of the 4 small dressers to put her belongings in. Just as she shoved the last drawer closed, the two girls came back, giggling like pre-teens.

"I_ know!"_ Rachelle was saying. Rachelle was a sweet looking, slightly plump girl. She had dark skin and curly hair dyed auburn. In hushed tones, she asked, "Do you think I'd get in trouble if we...you know."

"We're all adults here," the other girl said in a reasonable and superior tone. She had olive skin and straight black hair. She was as skinny as a super model, and Sarah remember that she hadn't eaten very much at dinner. Then her gaze leveled at Sarah, and she said with a deliberate dare in her voice, "We should be able to do anything we want to."

Sarah just rolled her eyes and turned away. Obviously this girl was still mad about the incident in the aviary.

"Legia, Have you ever..._done it?"_ Rachelle asked in gaping tones.

"Of course I have," Legia said proudly. "_Lots_ of time. I've even been on a Girls-Gone-Wild video."

Rachelle gazed at the Legia with worship in her eyes. "What's it like?"

"Oh. My. God," Sarah interjected. She couldn't help being disgusted at this whole topic. "We did not drive up the Devil's Driveway to 6000 feet just so you can gab about the _mile high club_."

Legia clicked her tongue at Sarah condescendingly. Her eyes swept up and down Sarah, taking in her faded jeans and plain t-shirt. "What do you know? You're probably still a virgin. I'll bet you've never even kissed a guy."

Sarah bit the inside of her cheek against the obvious, instant retort. It would just make her sound petty. So instead, she replied in a measured voice, "I have had men move the stars for me. Unlike some, I don't have to sell my body to rule over the opposite gender."

Legia gasped and Rachelle looked panicked. "How dare you?" Legia shrieked.

Sarah drew herself up to meet Legia eye to eye. "I dare because when I signed up for this internship, I was serious about the scholarship. I dare because I have faced more trials and dangers than a commercially pampered brat like you could ever imagine. I dare because I can't stand people like you, who think that they're better than the rest of us just because they can't fit anyone but themselves in their narrow and shallow universe."

"You are so--" Legia started.

"What? Dead? Egged? Or are you just going to put spiders in my sleeping bag?" Sarah rolled her eyes. "Come on, we're all adults here, and it's been a long day. Can we please go to bed without anymore talk about reproduction?"

With a huff, Legia grabbed her skimpy pajamas from her suitcase and stormed into the bedroom. Rachelle glanced at Sarah with a little reverence and more than a little fear before racing after Legia. Sarah just sighed and dug out her thick flannel pjs. She spared a moment and a private smile at the thought of Legia trying to keep warm in such flimsy sleepwear. These were the Rockies. The only seducing going on around here was to be done by the scenic vistas. Lingerie was a recipe for hypothermia.

* * *

As predicted, Legia was in a terrible mood the next morning, complaining continuously about how cold it was. She kept trying to wrap her stylish jacket closer, but the flimsy fashion was built for looks, not utility. Sarah just smiled as she sipped her hot cocoa from the comfort of her old sheepskin coat.

Suddenly Ranger Anne burst into the small cafeteria looking flushed and excited. "New patient!" she cried. "Come on!"

Sarah and the other interns all followed her outside. A dirty yellow four wheeler sat just outside the aviary with a small cubic shape covered in green canvas strapped to the back.

"What is it?" Nate asked.

"Barn Owl," Anne replied. "I was checking the power lines from the solar panels this morning and found this poor guy tangled in a blackberry bush with a broken wing."

Sarah stopped dead in her tracks when she heard the bird's species. The other interns crowded around the cage as Anne removed the canvas. "Now," she was saying, "We need to be careful when we transfer this guy. We need to get him on the exam table, ASAP. So Nate, you take this towel and try to wrap his body and good wing in it when Legia opens the door. Don't get near his feet or his beak. Ready? No! Wait!"

Too late, Legia had opened the cage door before Nate was ready and the owl hopped out of the cage with surprising agility. He tried to flap with his good wing, but couldn't get more than a couple feet of altitude before he spiraled to the ground.

"Get him!" Anne called. All the interns except Sarah started chasing the bird, their hands wrapped awkwardly in towels. Sarah just stood in the middle and watched the snowy-faced owl desperately try to evade capture. Her heart went out to him as he hobbled, hopped, flew and fell over and over. Suddenly, after one mad leap into the air, he dived towards Sarah and landed in a pile of feathers at her feet. He shook himself, looked up, and hooted mournfully.

Sarah's heart almost broke. Without thinking, she leaned down and held out her arm. He easily hopped onto the thick sheepskin, his talons sinking into the leather and wool, but not piercing it. He hooted again.

"Sarah," Anne called as she waved the other interns away from Sarah and the injured owl. "Can you get him into the exam room, you think?"

Sarah sighed as she looked at the owl critically. "Really?" she asked it. "You have to show up now and make a big scene like this?" The owl blinked his eyes, slightly cloudy with pain, and hooted softly, almost innocently. "Fine. Let's get your royal feathery butt under the x-ray machine," she sighed. She walked briskly towards the aviary, Anne and the others giving her a wide berth.

Calmly, girl and bird passed all the other predators in cages to the exam room, where a birch perch sat on a metal exam table. Sarah held out her arm and the owl reluctantly stepped onto it.

"I'm never one to question luck, but that was quite a trick," Anne said as she came into the exam room. She passed Sarah a towel. "Think you can hold him still while I sedate him?"

Sarah shrugged and took the towel, but as soon as she turned back to the owl, he raised his good wing and hissed. "Come on," Sarah scolded. "It's just going to be a little shot in your leg. It'll make your wing hurt less and we can fix you up properly." The owl looked at her, and she could tell he was reluctant. She just raised an eyebrow and he dipped in a bow of submission. Gently, she wrapped the towel around his body without any more fight.

"You certainly had a knack," Anne muttered, impressed. She quickly punched the owl's fleshy thigh with the small syringe. Almost instantly, the bird became lucid and wobbly. Anne brought up a box and some plates from under the counter and quickly set up an x-ray station. "Help me get him over here so we can x-ray his wing."

Sarah followed all of Anne's instructions as the two of them set about healing the poor bird. The other interns started by peaking in the doorway, but eventually they wondered away when it became obvious that Sarah wasn't performing anymore parlor tricks. It was good there wasn't an audience anyway when Anne set the owl's wing. The bird screeched and struggled, so that Sarah had a hard time holding onto him.

Finally, they settled the owl in a fresh cage, small enough that he wouldn't get into trouble while his wing healed.

"Now," Anne sighed, dusting her hands on her olive kakis. "Do you think you can work your magic on Gretel and get those eggs out from under her?"

"Maybe after lunch," Sarah replied, wiping her sweaty brow on her shirtsleeve. She had taken off the coat earlier when it had gotten too warm.

Surprised, Anne checked her watch. "You're absolutely right. Lunch first. Then cranky vulture moms."

After lukewarm chili-dogs, Sarah returned to the aviary to gently coax Gretel away from her cement nest with a handful of rancid chicken livers. The turkey vulture obligingly followed the lure into a secondary cage and Anne quickly closed off the nest. The vulture let out a heavy sigh as she looked over her shoulder at her eggs. Sarah dropped the livers in front of the vulture and that quickly the vulture's attention was diverted.

Sarah and Anne spent the rest of the day in the aviary. After a late dinner of noodles and meaty marinara, Sarah was ready to collapse. When she got to her cabin, Legia and Rachelle were sitting together, whispering and casting suspicious glances Sarah's way. Sarah bristled. She grabbed her cell phone and stormed out the door.

She dialed Eric's number and he picked up halfway through the first ring. "Sarah? Are you alight?" he demanded.

"Hello to you too," Sarah chuckled.

"Sorry," he said sheepishly. "I've missed you."

"Twenty-four hours is all it takes to shatter that cool zen exterior?" she teased.

"It's been a very long twenty-four hours," he assured her.

"Well, to answer your starting question, I'm physically sound," she said. "Although I thought I left the hormonally imbalanced teenage divas back in high school, one has followed me here to torment me. Her nick-name for me is _owl-whisperer._"

"How do you get a nick-name like that?" he asked.

"A barn owl with a broken wing instantly bonded with me today," she sighed.

"Aren't you...phobic of owls?" he inquired tentatively.

"Not phobic. Just wary," Sarah corrected gently. "But this little guy was just pathetic with his gimpy wing. I had to help him out."

"At least you're keeping busy," he reminded her encouragingly.

"The birds are fine. So are the wolves and the bear. I think we have a wolverine in our small animal building, too," she said.

"I am officially jealous of the coolness of your internship," he said.

"Yeah, it almost makes up for being exiled from the small social circle here," she replied with a roll of her eyes. "I think I'll take a hike tomorrow and clear my head."

"Who is going with you?" Eric asked, expectantly.

"No one," she said, firmly but calmly. "I was going to go by myself. Just for a mile or so."

"But what if you fall? What if you faint? What if---"

"If, IF, _IF!_" Sarah shouted into the phone. "I accepted this internship to get away from that annoying word."

"I just--"

"You're just being over protective--which you don't need to be, thank you very much. Don't think your new status as boyfriend gives you the right to dictate to me," she warned. "Because if you start throwing your weight around, I'll bump you back down to best friend in a shot."

Eric let out a frustrated sigh. They were both quiet for a moment. Finally, he said, "I just worry about you. I--" he sighed again.

Sarah could tell there was something he couldn't quite admit yet, and she didn't push it. "I'm fine," she repeated. "I know you're worried, but I've fought whatever it is that makes me sick for five years now. I know my limits. You've trusted me this long as my friend. Trust me a little longer. That's what relationships are supposed to be about, right? Trust?"

Eric let out another sigh, and Sarah heard a dull thump, as if he'd punched something to relive tension. "Sorry," he finally muttered.

"I need to get to bed," she said softly. "It's been a long day."

"Sarah--wait," he protested. "Was this our first fight?"

Sarah laughed. "Hardly. Don't tell me you can't remember the epic battle of Tolkien vs Lucas. Or the dread Milkshake Wars."

"You know what I mean," he said, but there was a small smile in his voice.

"Well, I don't suppose it will really be over until we can makeup with a kiss," she teased gently.

"I'll be there first thing in the morning then," he vowed briskly.

"Don't, please," she said softly. She didn't say it, but if Eric came up to the mountain, she wouldn't be able to let him leave without her. She hated that Legia had managed to get under her skin so much that she'd throw away a $4000 scholarship, but with everyone whispering about her uncanny ability with the birds, and Legia undoubtedly fanning the rumors, Sarah knew she would jump at the chance to escape. Especially if that escape included Eric. "I'll call you tomorrow night," she promised.

"Tomorrow night," he confirmed. They said their soft goodbyes and hung up.

Sarah went back to the cabin and found Legia and Rachelle still gossiping. Shaking her head in disgust, she grabbed her thick flannel pajamas and changed in the bathroom. Then she crawled into her sleeping bag, after casually checking it for spiders or powers or other unpleasant pranks, and fell asleep almost instantly.

Sarah dreamed that night. She dreamed about the crystal ball. She was in the puffy gossamer dress again, searching through the crowded masquerade for someone. She was getting frustrated, because her goal always seemed just out of reach, no matter how quickly she dodged between gaudy dancers. Then she noticed how the others were laughing at her. They pointed and jeered. Sarah felt embarrassed and frustrated. This wasn't supposed to happen yet.

Then the other dancers started removing their masks. First Legia appeared, pointing and cackling. Then Rachelle. Then Nate and the other boy intern. Then Anne and the other rangers. Then her hometown librarian and high school teachers and class mates. Sarah didn't want to find out why this was wrong; she just wanted to get away. She turned and ran blindly--only to run into the hard chest of a man.

She looked up and recognized Jareth, the Goblin King. He picked up her hands and placed one on his shoulder. Then he placed a hand on her waist--which felt ridiculously erotic--and spun her to the center of the dance floor. Sarah struggled to get away, but for some reason she couldn't break away. Finally, he released his hold on her waist, if not her hand. She pulled on her hand but he just held on tighter.

"Sarah," Jareth sighed. "If you need me, just call."

"No!" Sarah cried. "I'll never need you, Goblin King. Never!"

"Call me," he whispered again. Sarah heard it as if his lips were right beside her ear. She fought the command.

"No. No!"

"Sarah!" he cried again. She could see the strain on his face. Her heart almost betrayed her, compelled by the anguish in his eyes.

"Sarah! Sarah, wake up!"

Sarah lurched awake and gasped. Relief flooded her body. She was in the dark cabin, high in the Rockies. Not trapped in a crystal ball, at the mercy of a ruthless king.

"Sarah, you were having a nightmare," Rachelle's voice floated softly through the blackness. "You kept saying something like _gobble king_. What's a gobble king?"

"Goblin king," Sarah corrected her absently as she tried to catch her breath.

"What?"

"Nothing. Just a stupid dream," Sarah said to reassure Rachelle as much as herself. Then as an afterthought, she asked, "I didn't wake Legia, did I?"

"No. Ranger Anne gave her a forestry-service issue sleeping bag, so she's actually warm tonight. The entire mountain could fall down and she wouldn't wake up," Rachelle replied.

"Sorry I woke you up," Sarah apologized.

"It's ok. I wasn't sleeping anyway," Rachelle sighed. "Homesick."

"It's only two months," Sarah said, trying to be reassuring.

"But it's the first time I've been away from home. Ever," Rachelle said. "I miss all my brothers and my aunts and uncles. We have a regular clan there."

"Must be nice. Half of my family is non-existent. And the other half you wouldn't believe is real," Sarah mumbled as she settled back in bed.

"Why wouldn't I think they're real?"

"Well, there's one who's a knight--seriously, the jousting sort with a code of honor and everything. One's a dwarf. And one's a gentle giant," Sarah said before she could stop herself. "Not to mention Jareth--who thinks he owns me."

"Is Jareth your boyfriend?" Rochelle asked tentatively.

"He wishes," Sarah sighed. "Eric is my boyfriend."

"Your family sounds great," Rochelle murmured, drowsiness creeping into her voice. "Don't you miss them?"

"No. All I have to do is call, and they'll be here in a heartbeat. I just need...to...call."

Both girls fell into a dreamless sleep at the exact same instant.

* * *

_Sorry, everyone, for the slow update. I had half this chapter done, and then my hard drive bottomed out on me. A very sad day in my house. I also lost my final Ethics essay. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. Review and comments are always welcome!!! ^_^_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"_. . . he would have passed a pleasant life of it, in despite of the Devil and all his works, if his path had not been crossed by a being that causes more perplexity to mortal man than ghosts, goblins, and the whole race of witches put together, and that was-a woman.__"_

_Washington Irving_

* * *

Jareth brooded. He'd dreamed of Sarah the night before, of that brief moment in the crystal ball with her. Only this time, he openly begged her to save him from his own demons. And she had flat out refused. In the dream his heart broke and he had woken up in a cold sweat.

He knew that in 12 days, either Hoggle would smuggle Sarah another peach or Sarah would succumb to the craving. It was a delicate game he planned, playing on Hoggle's deception and Sarah's weakness to somehow bring her back to the underground. Even with the grim portent of the dream hanging over his head, he knew he couldn't last much longer without her.

He didn't know why it had to be Sarah, that stubborn and proud girl, but he couldn't imagine any other queen beside him on the throne. She had shown up unexpectedly 5 years earlier-too early. And yet, he couldn't resist offering her the heart that she had stolen from his chest that fist time she had gazed up at him when she had been Toby's age.

She had been wished away to him, like so many children, in a fit of despair and selfishness, by the one person who should have been her protector. Unlike Sarah, her mother had accepted the crystal full of dreams-even before running the Labyrinth-and the wretched woman had left her only daughter in the hands of goblins without a second thought. Jareth had fallen in love with the girl child and knew he couldn't condemn her to goblin form. He had sent her home to her father and watched her intently ever since. He never expected her to find the very book her mother had used to call him, and then wish away her baby brother. He half expected her to do what her mother had and happily exchange the child for a pretty bauble.

But his Sarah had more spunk, more spark, more loyalty and courage than her mother could have ever dreamed of, to chance the dangers of the Labyrinth and win the challenge. She had won her baby brother back, but technically she still belonged to him. Or at least, that was what he had thought until she said those fateful, final words.

"You have no power over me."

He had discovered to his dismay, that while he owned her, he could not compel her. While she owed her human existence to his mercy, he could not collect on the debt. After all, she held his heart-owned it and possessed it as much as he owned and possessed her-except her possession of him was voluntary on his part, and his possession of her was trivial underground law. Which he was bound to enforce. If it was any other mortal, he would have sent them to the bog and have been done with it. Thus was the matter tangled by love.

Now, thanks to his peach and Hoggle's misguided loyalties, he had a second chance. He had only a few days before her life would be in danger again, and when the moment came, he needed to be ready. It would likely be the last opportunity to pull Sarah into the underground, into the throne, and into his bed, as she was already entrenched in his heart, mind and soul.

* * *

Sarah woke up before either of her two roommates and quietly slipped out of the cabin. Dawn was threatening, but hadn't quite broken yet. There was a fine layer of frost clinging to the deepest shadows, even though it was July. The air was crisp and fresh and felt delicious against her face.

As she strolled down a deer trail, she felt more than heard the fluttering in the trees above her. It was a strange shifting in the trees, clicking of talons, rustling of feathers. She glanced up to see golden eyes watching her. She kept walking, quickening her pace. Boughs creaked as more and more birds landed in the trees, as they hopped from one branch to another to follow her. Tiny song birds skipped and flitted from bush to bush, not risking a challenge with the raptors higher up. Sarah started to run down the path and heard the trees rustle as birds took flight to follow her.

"This isn't happening. It can't be happening," she muttered to herself, out of breath. "I'm not some crazy bird woman!"

She was sprinting now, blindly dodging trees and clumps of thick brush, having completely abandoned the deer trail. She knew she was moving away from the wildlife outpost because she was heading down hill. She still plowed on until she-quite by luck-stumbled onto the dirt road that lead down from the wildlife research center. With a bit more space around her, she whirled around to try to get a better view of the flock that was now surrounding her.

Birds of all shapes and sizes looked down at her from the trees. Owls, hawks, eagles, falcons, ravens, woodpeckers, songbirds, even a stork or two, all gazing at her with something like expectation in their amber eyes.

"What do you want?" Sarah screamed at them. All at once, they replied with a cacophony of shrieks, screeches and caws. She clapped her hands over her ears at the instant headache it caused. "I can't understand you. I wish I could!"

And suddenly, she did. Eerily, like when she had wished to know the words that would make the goblins take Tobi away, she knew exactly what they wanted. Every single one of them. Mostly, it was food-a constant demand. Some were sick or in pain because of infection or parasite. A few wanted space. One wanted a nest. They were all very avian demands, and for some reason, they thought she could satisfy them.

"I can't do it all!" she yelled. "I just can't!"

The birds called again, and this time, the demand was clear and unified. _"Do something."_

Sarah sighed shakily and dug her fingernails into her scalp. What could she do? She could take the sick ones back to the wildlife center, where they could be treated, and the rest of them would have to continue on their own; she could hardly feed them all or give them exclusive territory. But would bringing a mixed flock back to the center loose her the scholarship? Was being a bird whisperer a disqualifier?

"Why me?" she moaned. She didn't mean to, but it slipped out. And the answer came, just as loud and undeniable as before.

_"Queen."_

_"Majesty."_

_"Protector."_

_"Highness."_

_"Leader."_

_"Empress."_

_"Lady."_

_"Royalty."_

"No!" she cried. "I'm not any of those things!" The birds didn't listen. They just kept calling out the same names, the same titles of responsibility. She ran. This time, she ran uphill and towards the wildlife center. There was shelter that way. Maybe she could just crawl back into bed and discover this was another nightmare.

Sarah ran with her hands pressed over her ears to shut out the birds. With a desperate burst of speed, she ran into the circular drive between all the buildings of wildlife center. Ranger Anne stopped in shock, half way between the mess hall and the aviary. Sarah knew she was staring at the multitude of birds rising from the forest behind her. She ran past her into the mess hall.

Legia, Rachelle and the two boys were there. They looked up, startled by her sudden appearance.

"What's your problem?" Legia sneered.

"Being harassed by wildlife," she panted.

Then ranger Anne came in behind her, looking very confused. "Sarah, do you have some strange black market bird bait in your pockets or something?"

"What? No!" Sarah cried. "I don't know what's going on. I was just walking and they started following me."

Everyone look at her like she had grown horns.

"I swear, I didn't do anything!" she was close to tears now.

"Maybe it's some sort of migration brought on by a flux in the magnetic fields of the earth," suggested Rachelle timidly. That earned her a venomous look from Legia, which Rachelle bravely ignored as she continued, "I mean, aren't the poles supposed to switch or something in 2012?"

"Magnetic evidence of samples of the sea floor indicate some sort of global field flux is due soon, but the actual date 2012 is only speculation, based mostly on the Mayan calendar," Nathan interjected.

"It doesn't much matter when the world's coming to an end," Ranger Anne informed them all. "What I want to know is why all those birds are out there—not behaving like birds!"

Sarah sighed and covered her face with her hands. "I don't know, I just don't know."

"Well, you'd better figure it out and put an end to it," Anne warned, her voice steely with resolve. "We're not running a circus here. I have half a mind to send you down the hill right now to get you out of my hair and maybe get the help you need."

_I need Jareth's help to sort this out,_ she thought before she could stop herself. On the heels of that thought, came the idea, _Maybe my Labyrinth friends can help!_ But where could she get the privacy to summon them? It was hopeless. She was about to lose the internship. "I wish they'd just go away," she whispered.

"Hey, I think they're leaving!" the other boy—Tyson—exclaimed, looking out the window. Soon everyone else was gathered around him. Sarah didn't move, torn between hoping that her desperate wish was coming true, and terrified of the implications.

"Huh. I guess they're not interested in us anymore," Nathan mused.

Sarah let out the breath she'd been holding. Ranger Anne shot her a look, but didn't say another word. She didn't need to. Sarah had seen that same look on her step-mother's face. If she set one more toe out of line, she'd be on the next truck off the mountain. She didn't know how she was going to last another seven and a half weeks.

The rest of the week dragged on without further incident. Then the next week passed as well. Sarah dutifully helped in all the wildlife enclosures, and did her best to minimize her contact with the birds. Every time she saw that barn owl, she felt like she was being watched. But Ranger Anne had informed everyone that the white bird was a female, her name Luna, and so Sarah's irrational fear that the Goblin King was keeping tabs on her was laid to rest.

Saturday night was movie night, and everyone settled down in the mess hall to watch _Million Dollar Mermaid._ Sarah waited until the move started before discretely leaving the mess hall to call Eric.

"Sarah!" he cried into the phone. "I thought you were giving me the cold shoulder or something—I couldn't even call you!"

"I had to turn off the phone," she explained apologetically. "There was an…incident here that's kind of put me on probation."

"Tofu in the coffee creamer?" he asked, knowingly.

"No," she scolded, but couldn't keep a smile from tugging the corners of her mouth at the memory of that prank. "I…a flock of birds were following me around, and I was accused of using illegal materials to entice them."

"WHAT?"

"It was just in passing," she hastily assured him. "But everyone has been giving me the evil eye ever since."

"Jerks," Eric grumbled.

Sarah chuckled. Leave it to Eric not to question any strange bird behavior, but to throw his complete support behind her, no matter what. That was why he was her best friend, and now her boyfriend. "I just have to survive another seven weeks, and then everything will be fine."

"It's only forever," Eric replied darkly. "Not long at all."

Sarah paused for a moment, remembering the last time she had heard that phrase. Then she shook her head to clear it. Coincidence. That was all.

"Too long for me," she replied finally. "I really wish—" she caught herself. Too many wishes had been made lately. "I mean, it'd be nice if I could see you. You know, for moral support."

"I could drive through the night and be there tomorrow," he reminded her.

"But fraternization with outsiders would get me kicked off the mountain for sure," she teased.

"How have you been feeling?" he asked, softly but seriously.

"I'm fine. Strong as an ox," she insisted.

"Will you call me if you start feeling sick?" he wanted to know.

"Of course not. Then you'd really do something stupid, like sky-dive into the camp," she joked.

"I'm serious, Sarah," he said warningly. "If I have to hit you on the head and drag you off that mountain cave-man-style so you can get the medical attention you need, I'll do it."

"Can we talk about something else?" she sighed. "I appreciate your concern, but I don't want every conversation we have to be about my health."

"Ok, then. So, have you been writing?" he dutifully changed the subject.

"A little," she admitted with relief. "I had an idea for a story called Don't Call Me Thumbelina. It's about a tiny girl who—like Thumbelina—was born in a flower, except no one is there to take care of her. So she has to learn about things herself from junk lying around a fishing cabin—including an old porn magazine."

"That's hilarious," Eric laughed. "Is she going to use a condom for an umbrella?"

Sarah started giggling. "Maybe as a ground tarp for her sleeping bag."

"What's behind the _Don't Call Me_ part of your story?" Eric asked.

"Thumbelina was a total pushover. I mean she almost married a mole because she didn't have better options at that moment. A mole! Seriously!" Sarah mock-ranted. "So my character, Theo, is looking for friends, but she's not going to be a damsel in distress. She's going to be helpful and spunky and goofy-innocent and funny and all the things the normal romance heroines aren't."

"Am I sensing a little allegory?" he teased. "So, we've got the setting. What's the plot?"

"I'm not sure yet. I'm thinking she meets someone and goes on an adventure," she suggested lamely.

"How about a world-savvy flower boy who sweeps her off her feet?" Eric suggested.

"I said I was trying to get away from the cheesy romance, remember?" she rolled her eyes.

"Well, then what if she meets a full sized boy who is so enamored with her that he puts her in a cage?" he amended. "He wants to keep her safe and beautiful, and he does it in all the wrong ways. He has nightmares about her leaving him, so he lies to her about the outside world."

"That sounds creepy, especially coming from you…but I love it!" she cried.

Eric laughed. "I'm glad my inner stalker doesn't scare you off."

"Like all the dramatically twisted men in my life, I'll just use you for inspiration for my next best-selling novel," she said flippantly.

"Who else have you met that's dramatically twisted?" he demanded suspiciously.

"N-no one," she hedged nervously. Crap! She couldn't believe he caught that. She certainly wasn't going to explain about Jareth here and now. "I'm just saying."

"Re-e-eally," he replied knowingly. "I'm thinking that your last novel had a dark source. So, Sarah, apple of my eye, dearest light of my life… Who was the inspiration for Underground?"

"A magician doesn't give away her secrets, and an author doesn't reveal her sources," she informed him with an air of superiority.

"That's journalists," Eric pointed out.

She sighed heavily. "And if I told you that the Goblin King himself had inspired me, would you believe me?"

Eric laughed. "Fine, keep your mysterious fountain of inspiration a secret. I'll get it out of you someday."

"Not today," Sarah sighed in relief. She put her hand to her temple to ease the beginnings of a headache. Her hand came away dark and sticky. Sarah moved into one of the flood lights, alarmed at the streaks of blood on her fingers. She wiped her forehead and discovered more blood. Her hand started to tremble.

"Look, I know you're really into this whole scholarship thing, but just to give you something to look forward to, I have special plans for our first date," he told her. "There's a new club in town—the Oubliette. Very elegant, very European. I was thinking you could get all dolled up and we could have a real romantic time there. I'm planning to go all out—limo and everything!"

Sarah couldn't think of a worse place to go for a date. She started to shiver as she remembered dropping into that musty, dark pit. The night around her suddenly seemed darker, as she lied, "Sure, that sounds fantastic. Can't wait. I have to go now. One of the rangers is calling me over."

"Alright," Eric sighed. "Take care of yourself. And remember—just call."

"I know, I really appreciate it," she replied. "Talk to you soon. Goodbye!"

She hung up quickly, tears pricking in her eyes. She couldn't even be honest with her boyfriend. Did Jareth's power really extend this far? Could he influence her life as much as he did her dreams? There were just too many coincidences for her to ignore.

And to top it all off, the her mysterious sickness was coming back. She felt it draining her strength. She had hoped that the fresh mountain air could have prevented a relapse—she had been counting on it. Now, as she stumbled to her bunk, she felt dizzy and nauseous. She tripped up the two steps that lead up to the cabin door.

Sarah collapsed on Rachelle's bed, the tremors becoming too violent to ignore. This was worse than all the other times she'd relapsed. She felt so homesick that she couldn't tell what was her body betraying her and what was regular misery.

Could she make it through the night? Should she call for help now? Should she open Hoggle's box? He'd said to use it if she was really sick again. Did this count? Or would she be sicker later and need it then.

Sarah couldn't think straight. Her head was pounding, her throat and sinuses felt raw, her stomach churned violently. Finally she made her choice. If she was any sicker than this, she would likely die. Too dizy to walk to her duffle bag, she slid to the floor and crawled over to it. She rummaged through her clothes, searching for the small wooden box.

It wasn't there.

"Looking for this?" an annoying, superior voice inquired behind her. Legia held the box like it was a dead rat. "I thought you might have a stash somewhere—no one can act that weird normally."

"I need that," Sarah growled between clenched teeth.

"You only think you need it," Legia retorted. "You're a druggie. You're just going though withdrawals."

"I'm sick," Sarah protested, leaning up against the bed post for support.

"I'll say you're sick," Legia sneered. "You're sick in the head. What's in here, anyway? I couldn't open it."

"I don't know," Sarah sighed. Her vision was starting to tunnel, the edges fading out. She'd faint soon, and then what? Would Legia leave her to die in the cabin, under the pretense of letting Sarah detox? Sarah held out a hand. "Please…please…"

"God, you're pathetic," Legia snapped and threw the box.

It landed in Sarah's lap. Her fingers fumbled for the catch. The box sprang open. Sarah stared at what was inside, disbelieving. "But…but…why?" she gasped. All the strength left her body in abject defeat. "Why?"

"What is it?" Legia demanded leaning gingerly over Sarah's motionless figure to take a peak. "A peach? You get high off peaches?"

"Hoggle…" Sarah moaned. "Why, Hoggle? Why?"

"You are just too weird. I'm telling Ranger Anne," Legia said as she left the cabin.

Well, that was it, thought Sarah. She'd lost her internship and the scholarship. Hoggle had given her a peach, and she was going to die on this forsaken mountain top if…if…She couldn't put the pieces together. There was something missing. "Jareth…" she whispered. "I wish…Jareth…"

Jareth felt the call. Incomplete as the wish was, she had used his name and that held almost as much power as the wish itself. Instantly, Jareth was at the cabin window looking in on his precious Sarah. The sight of her broke his heart. She was so pale, her skin almost translucent. The fire in her eyes had gone out, quenched by the tears streaming down her face.

He rushed to her side, swept her into his arms. Hoggle's box and the peach fell to the floor. Jareth set Sarah on the bed before retrieving the peach. He tore the peach in half and held one juicy hemisphere to her lips. The golden liquid dripped from the soft flesh and between her pale lips. Her tongue darted out to savor the sweet, life-giving, juice.

"Yes, precious," Jareth murmured, desperately. "Choose life. Don't leave me."

Sarah's mouth moved of its own accord, latching on to the fruit he offered. Quickly, her color was coming back to her face. Strength flooded her limbs. Her eyes fluttered.

Jareth smiled. She would live until death brushed her again in 13 days time. He brushed a kiss on her forehead.

"Call me if you need me," he whispered. Taking the half eaten peach, he vanished into the night.

"Right now," declared Legia, "she's doing drugs in there."

"Sarah?" Ranger Anne called.

"Yes?" Sarah answered, a bit groggily.

"Are you alright?" Anne asked, suspiciously. She came into the cabin, looking around for any evidence to support Legia's claim.

"Fine," Sarah asured her. "I just needed my medication."

"Medication?" Legia cried indignantly. "She's doing hard core drugs!"

"May I see the bottle?" Anne asked.

Sarah summoned just enough energy to glare at her rival. "Yeah, real hardcore. They stop my fainting spells."

"No—she had a box with a peach—" Legia denied. "I took it—"

"So that's why I haven't been able to find it lately!" Sarah shot back. "I've only just missed passing out because I had an emergency back up in my box. What did you do with it?"

Legia looked desperately from Sarah to Ranger Anne. "It was…a peach," she denied lamely. "In the box…"

"Give Sarah back her medication," Anne ordered in her firmest no-nonsense voice.

"But I don't have it—"

"Stealing another intern's medication is a serious offence," Anne warned. "Give Sarah back her pills or you're going down the mountain tomorrow."

"But—but—" Legia gasped, appalled at the sudden turn of events.

"I can get more from a pharmacy tomorrow," Sarah offered. "It's not a big deal."

"It is a big deal," Anne corrected. "We have a lot of medical materials—including drugs that are not available over the counter. If she's stealing your fainting medication, she could also be taking a lot more dangerous medication out of the labs."

"It's not fair!" Legia whined. "I didn't do anything."

"Pack your things," Ranger Anne snapped. "You're going home tomorrow."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"_A sad tale's best for winter. I have one of sprites and goblins.__" __William Shakespeare_

* * *

Sarah woke early the next morning, weighed down by guilt and betrayal. It was like a rock in the middle of her chest, and even though she was awake, it held her immobile in bed. She tried to put together all the facts, to find some logical reason why Hoggle would give her a peach. _A peach!_

After everything Jareth had done to her—to Hoggle—after years of thinking she and Hoggle were friends—the truth was the little scab had been in league with the Goblin King all this time. But why? Sarah remembered how miserable Hoggle was after the last time he betrayed her—and besides the Bog of Eternal stench, which they had already braved together, what power could Jareth hold over Hoggle that would make the dwarf betray her like this?

Then an old, Victorian rhyme about the goblin market floated into her mind. According to the poem, Goblin fruit was addictive and dangerous; those seduced into eating it would waste away from cravings. If Jareth's original peach was the similar, then Hoggle hadn't betrayed her but saved her—repeatedly—at great personal risk. Of course he had to do it secretly—or she never would have accepted his help.

But Jareth must have known of Sarah's addiction. How could he not? It was the cruelest part of his trick. She should have known better—how many fairytales had she read where eating the fae food was hazardous to one's health? Apples, mushrooms, candies—any food touched by magic was usually a bad idea.

And yet...And yet the Goblin King had not interfered in her life in any way. She hadn't even dreamed about him until these last two weeks—right after Hoggle gave her the box. Perhaps Jareth hadn't known until recently. Perhaps Hoggle had protected her from the King's sadistic nature as long as he could.

Then, on top of all this drama, she had gotten Legia expelled from the mountain. She didn't want to, but that little wretch had pushed her too far—accusing her of using illegal drugs—stealing Hoggle's box! At least she wouldn't be trouble any more. Ranger Anne was taking her down the mountain today.

Finally, Sarah rolled herself out of bed and shimmied into her jeans. Before she could do anything, she needed to talk to her labyrinth friends...she needed to talk to Hoggle. She would need his help the next time she relapsed, and every time after that until she could find a cure—and there had to be a cure. Three drops of water from a magic well, a mystical crystal filled with moonlight, something—anything!

She pushed her feet into her boots and grabing her sheepskin jacket walked out into the foggy morning. She walked purposefully for a mile and a half and to her relief, no birds followed her. When she came to a secluded clearing, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I wish Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Hoggle were here," she said clearly into the crisp mountain morning.

"Sarwah?" Ludo's gravely voice sounded confused.

"My lady!" Sir Didymus cried with joy.

She opened her eyes and saw the monster and the valiant knight. "Where's Hoggle?" she asked.

Sir Didymus and Ludo exchanged a glance.

"He has not been seen around the gardens lately, my lady," Sir Didymus finally replied. "We do not know where he is these days."

"Hoggle hermit," Ludo agreed.

Sarah pursed her lips. Closeing her eyes again, she focused hard on her wish. "I wish—I demand—that Hoggle appear before me."

She heard him groan in misery even before she opened her eyes. The poor dwarf looked horrible. He normally stout figure was lean from starvation, his clothes were little more than rags, and the only clean parts of his face were the tear tracks running down his cheeks.

Sarah dropped to her knees and threw her arms around the small man. She hugged him tightly, even as he tried to twist away from her. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you, Hoggle. You saved my life."

"I ain't done nothing of the sort," he moaned. "I betrayed you, and I don't even have a good excuse."

Sarah caught his face between her hands and looked deep into his muddy brown eyes. "You kept me alive when my own pride would have killed me. You risked everything for my health and safety. You are the greatest friend I could ever have."

"Do—do ya mean it?" he grunted, close to tears. "Can you forgive me again?"

"There is nothing to forgive," she insisted, and hugged him again. "But why do you look so horrible?"

"I tried to run away," he muttered. "I hoped...that if I ran far enough...you wouldn't be able to wish me back."

"I need you, Hoggle," she replied softly, almost formally. "I know a little of what's going on, but I need you to help me. I had to use your peach last night, and worse, I think Jareth came to me."

The others gasped. Hoggle just looked down in despair.

"How, my lady?" demanded Sir Didymus. "He is like us—he cannot enter the human realm without a wish to call him!"

"That's the difficult part," Sarah sighed as she stood. "I was really in a bad way, last night. I think without the peach I would have died. In my delirium, I kinda...sorta wished for Jareth."

"Sawah in twubble," Ludo lamented.

"I know, Ludo," she agreed. "That's why I called you here. I need you to let me know the Goblin King's plans. Hoggle, I need you to get me another peach before I relapse again. Also, if any of you could find out why birds are so attracted to me..." she sighed in exasperation and threw her hands up. Birds of all species had quietly collected around her, resting in the trees. "None of you will follow me back to camp," she warned in a firm voice. Then she turned back to her friends. "Don't worry, guys. We'll beat this."

* * *

Jareth felt like dancing—and not just prancing around his court room—he felt like spinning and leaping and thrusting on the silver-lining of the clouds. Sarah had called him. She had wished him to her side. Oh happy day. What joy! What absolute wonder!

No doubt, she would soon realize that she needed him as much as he needed her. In 12 more days, she would need another peach—and she would call him to her. He would arrive, save her life, and whisk her away to the underground.

Unable to resist, he called forth a crystal with a twist of his fingers. Looking deep into the ball's depths, he saw Sarah walking through the forests. Something was strange...different. She had purpose in her step, authority in the way she held her head, her fists were closed in what he was surely mistaking for firm command. She looked every inch as regal as a queen, but the fire in her eyes was not one of romantic fantasy.

Sarah looked about to go to war.

* * *

The next week passed with little excitement. Sarah was more focused than ever on her work. She was no longer afraid of the strange way birds and animals reacted to her. Instead, she used their devotion to get the work done. Another Saturday night came, along with another movie. Again, Sarah slipped out to call Eric.

"Sarah," he cried joyfully. "How are you? How's the research? How's the writing?Anymore weird bird movements to report?"

She laughed, her grim spirits lifted by the excitement in his voice. "Actually, we need to talk."

"Uh-oh," he said, instantly sobering. "This sounds serious."

"It is," she said with a small sigh. "I can't explain everything right now, but if you don't hear from me for a few weeks, don't be alarmed."

"How can I not be alarmed?" he demanded. "Sarah, what's going on?"

"Nothing—I just don't want you to get worried," she insisted.

"Are you going on some hike deep into the mountains to study gophers in their natural habitat or something?" he wanted to know.

She wished she could say "yes," but that would be a lie, and Eric deserved better than that. "No, it's not that."

"Did you meet some hunky ranger? Are you dumping me?" he persisted.

"NO!" she denied. Her heart ached for him. "It's nothing like that."

"Then what? We've known each other for years. We can tell each other _anything!"_

"I just have some...personal demons I need to face." It was sort of the truth. Jareth was like a vindictive spirit in many ways.

"Did you have a relapse? Are you in the hospital?" he was panicking know, she could tell.

"I—look, you wouldn't understand. You wouldn't believe me," she tried to explain.

"Not if you don't give me a chance," he pointed out.

"Just trust me for a little while, Ok?"

"No, not _ok._ I do trust you, Sarah. The only reason I'm not at your side right now is because I trust you to be a responsible adult. Asking me to not worry as you take a hiatus for unexplained reasons for an undetermined amount of time isn't trust—it's torture."

She sighed. "Fine, I'll call you again next week, right on schedule," she promised, but it sound empty even to her ears.

"Fine," he snapped, and he hung up on her.

Sarah groaned and pressed her cellphone to her forehead. Where all men just stupid or did she have an "Idiots Apply Here" sign on her back.

She went back to the marque to watch the rest of the movie—Cool Runnings. Normally, she loved that sort of thing, but tonight she was too distracted. She'd been making plans all week. She had 5 days until her next relapse; 5 days until she faced the goblin king...5 days until she entered the Labyrinth again, this time to regain her freedom.

* * *

She woke up Friday morning, alert and anxious. Tonight she would relapse. She stretched her limbs, testing their strength. Oddly, she felt ready. She'd been training for the last week and a half with long morning jogs to build up her endurance. She had been doing 100 crunches and 100 pushups before bed. Part of her felt silly for this intense training, especially since less than 2 weeks of workouts probably wouldn't help her, but it had worked off a lot of the nervous energy.

Sarah got up, got dressed, and went to the aviary. She found the white barn owl; her wing was completely healed by now. Sarah opened the cage and held out her arm. The owl respectfully stepped on, careful not to puncture the sleeve of the sheepskin jacket with her talons. Then she went outside.

She addressed the owl, "This is a message for Jareth, King of the Goblins. Tell him that I will challenge him tonight for the antidote to the peach addiction. I'll run his Labyrinth, I'll answer his riddles, but in the end, I will leave free of his influence. He has no power over me."

Then she swiftly lifted her arm and the owl flew into the air. She watched it as it circled the wildlife center before banking and veering north.

A truck horn beeped behind her and Sarah turned around. She froze. All her readiness, all her firm resolve just vanished when she recognized the truck and the young man getting out of the cab. It was Eric!

Eric walked over to Sarah and hugged her.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry," he said. "I know you probably don't want me here, but I couldn't get you on your cell phone and I wasn't going to just sit on my hands, waiting for you to call."

"Eric—I—I never expected—" she gasped incoherently. Half her heart sank to the pit of her stomach, and the other half lodged in her throat. She was happy to see him, but dreaded their inevitable talk.

"Look, is there somewhere we can go?" he asked. "I know you have to start work soon, but I just want to get something off my chest."

"Um...sure—I guess—this way," she lead him through her regular hiking trail, every rock and dip familiar and reassuring. Eric reached out and took her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. They walked together in silence. Sarah's heart pounded painfully in her chest.

Finally they reached the familiar clearing in the woods. As soon as she stopped, Eric pulled her into another embrace and kissed hr. She kissed him back. She couldn't help it. He always sparked a flock of butterflies in her stomach. The way he held her, the way he kissed her—she just felt loved and treasured and special. She didn't need to fight him because she would always be safe with him. They didn't play mind games. Their relationship was open and honest.

...In all things but one: Jareth.

"Sarah, I hate being away from you like this," Eric whispered when they finally broke their kiss. "I've been in love with you so long and now I just don't want to let you out of my sight."

"Eric...It's just there's something I need to do," she whispered back, tears in her eyes. She had to find the antidote, or she could never truly be with him. As long as she was addicted to the peachs, the goblin king would always have leverage over her.

"I know, the scholarship—but I was thinking, maybe I could stay here too—just for the last few weeks. I heard there was an opening—I don't want the scholarship, but maybe they need an extra pair of hands—"

"It's not the scholarship," she said. She closed her eyes and leaned her head on his chest. "You're going to think I'm crazy."

"I've known you were crazy since the day I met you," he teased. He cupped her face with one hand and forced her to look at him. "Hey, talk to me. It'll be alright. I promise."

Sarah took a deep breath. "You know my book? Labyrinth? It's not just a story—it happened to me. All of it. And even more I didn't write down."

"Like in a dream or something?" he asked skeptically.

"No. I mean I really wished my brother away and the Goblin King challenged me and I ran the labyrinth to get him back," she said, all in a rush.

"O-kay," he replied slowly as he took this all in. "Do you have any proof of this?"

She licked her suddenly dry lips. "You know my illness? It's from the peach. I'm addicted to fae food—and it's killing me. I relapsed 13 days ago, while I was talking to you. I started sweating blood and shivering and I nearly passed out, but one of my friends smuggled me a peach and saved my life."

"You relapsed while you were talking to me and you said nothing?" he grabbed her shoulders and shook her. "What were you thinking?"

"It gets worse," she warned with a wince. "I'm going to relapse again tonight. It'll probably be the ugliest yet. And I'm going to challenge the Goblin King for the antidote."

Eric looked at her, stunned for a moment. Then he started hustling her back towards the wildlife center. "I'm taking you to a hospital right now. We'll get a full tox-screan and figure out what's really going on."

"Eric!" she cried, digging her heals into the rocky mountain. "This is exactly why I didn't tell you about it before."

"How long did you know something was wrong?" he demanded, frustrated.

"I've known about the labyrinth and the goblin city and all that since I visited it when I was 15. I just found out about the link between my illness and the peach a two weeks ago. Hoggle was slipping me peaches without my knowledge for years-"

"Wait a second, isn't' that one of your characters?" he asked.

"He's not just a character—he's real!" she insisted.

"Now I know you're delirious," he muttered. "Please, Sarah, just let me take you to a clinic—better safe than sorry."

"If you'll stop pushing me-" she snarled as she wrenched herself out of his arms. "-I'll prove it to you!"

"How?" he demanded.

"I wish Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Hoggle were here," she said imperiously.

"Wishing isn't going to-" he started, reaching for her.

"Wuddaya think yer doing?" snapped Hoggle.

"Hands off, you knave," Sir Didymus barked, jumping in between Sarah and Eric. Ludo growled ominously.

"Woah!" Eric backed up a few steps as he took in Sarah's companions.

"Eric, meet Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo. Guys, this is Eric, my boyfriend," Sarah introduced everyone.

"I have half a mind to challenge you to a duel of honor," Sir Didymus yipped.

"Well?" she asked as Eric looked from one to the other in astonished awe.

"I—I'm sorry I was harsh," he said. "I should have expected something like this—you always had something magical about you. My only question is...did they get a share of your royalties? I mean, they did help you write your story, in a way."

She smiled and threw herself into his arms, laughing and crying at the same time. He believed in her—in them—in everything. He didn't thin she was crazy, he didn't condemn her as a witch, and he still loved her enough to tease her.

"Hey, hey, hey!" he murmured softly. "Turn off the water works. Look, if you're really challenging the goblin king before you relapse, then we should get going."

"Huh?" she mumbled as she scrubbed her streaming eyes.

"You don't honestly believe after this sort of revelation that I'd let you go alone, do you?" he explained. "Granted, I'm still trying to wrap my head around the physics of you going to a magical realm that doesn't exist on earth, but I read your book—maybe a hundred times—and there is no way I'm letting you go back so you can collapse at any moment."

"I'll have my friends with me," she protested.

"I know. We'll definitely need their help too, but you are not well. The spell this peach has you under is a doozie, and you're not at your full strength. If you think the Goblin King was hard to beat the first time, _this_ time there are no rules," he pointed out. "You'll have no baby brother to exchange for your freedom, no leverage whatsoever."

Sarah sighed. "Your right—but I'm not going to let that sleaze ball get his claws into you too."

"Then we'll just go prepared," he said confidently. "You are prepared, right?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, _dad._ I have water, snacks, a first aid kit, a towel, rope, a hooded sweater, and a large box of chalk in a backpack at my cabin."

"Well, my backpack is also ready and waiting in the truck, so when ever you want, wish us to the underground and we'll start this adventure together." he squeezed her hand encouragingly. "All of us," he included Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo.

"Alright, we'll do this together," she nodded. She turned back to her companions. "We'll meet you at the entrance to the Labyrinth." They all nodded and disappeared.

Eric and Sarah walked back up to the wildlife foundation.

"Morning, Sarah, who's this?" Ranger Anne intercepted them.

"Oh, Ranger, Anne, this is my boyfriend Eric. He just came up to make sure I was alright," Sarah assured her. "He's the overprotective type."

"Ah, well, I trust he won't get in the way," she replied.

"Absolutely not," agreed Eric. "In fact, Sarah was telling me you might need an extra set of helping hands."

Anne looked Eric up and down, assessing him. "Did you submit an application?"

"No, I didn't—but I'm not looking for a scholarship. Just sort of a working vacation," he replied.

"I'll think about it. In the mean time, Sarah, I need you to clean out a new nest. The turkey vulture chicks should be hatching any day now." Then she walked off in the direction of the wolf enclosure.

"I'd better prepare the nest," Sarah sighed in resignation.

"I'll grab my bag and help. Then, before we get any more orders, we'll skedaddle to the labyrinth." Eric seemed more excited than he should be.

"Eric, darling, no one says 'skedaddle' anymore," she teased as she lead the way to the aviary.

Together, they whipped up a nest in a cage according to the specifications in a wildlife manual. Then they snuck out the back door and around the cabins to retrieve Sarah's bag. Then the two of them snuck off into the woods, so no one would witness their departure. They found the familiar clearing, and Sarah cleared her throat and closed her eyes.

"I wish we were at the gates of the Labyrinth," she called out to the forest.

A blast of hot air and dust hit both of them in the face and they both instinctively covered their eyes. When the dust settled, they were standing on the same sandy hill covered in bristling dead plants that Sarah had stood on 5 years ago when she first challenged the Goblin King.

A tall figure loomed up, dark and forbidding.

"You're him, arn't you?" Eric said in wonder. "You're the Goblin King."

"Sarah, precious," Jareth crooned, eyeing Eric with distaste. "What is this spindly-legged toad doing here?"

"We are here to challenge you, Goblin King," Sarah replied calmly and firmly. "We want the antidote to the peach."

"Oh, do you now?" he said, just as full of himself as the first time they met. "Run my labyrinth to your heart's content, Sarah, but there is no antidote. Besides, even if there was, I have no inclination to give it to you, as you no longer have a _beloved baby bother_ to trade for it."

"You sick snake," she snarled through clenched teeth.

"Is that the price of the antidote?" Eric asked quickly.

"What?" Jareth tuned back to the young man, a sneer flickering across his face.

"Is the price for the antidote a _beloved baby brother_? Is that what you require?" Eric persisted.

"It wouldn't matter—there is no antidote," Jareth repeated.

"If I brought you a _beloved baby brother_, could you free Sarah from the peach's influence?"

"Eric, what are you doing?" she hissed. He squeezed her hand reassuringly.

Jareth glared at him through eyes narrow with suspicion. "If there was a way to do what you want, the answer would be in my library, and for the price you name, I wold be willing to let you search for it."

"Do you swear that in exchange for a _beloved baby brother,_ we will be allowed to search your library for the thing that will release Sarah from the thrall of the peach?" Eric pushed, enunciating every word.

"Yes!" snapped Jareth.

"I am a beloved baby brother," Eric said proudly. "Two older sisters and six older brothers, I am the seventh son of a seventh son. Take me in exchange for a chance to free Sarah from the Underground once and for all."

Jareth hissed in annoyance. He had been tricked. This mortal played the game of riddles better than most. "Very well," he said and reached out to take hold of Eric's arm, the king's bony fingers digging into the muscles painfully. Jareth turned back to sarah. "Thirteen hours, precious, to find the library and your cure—and then your beloved will be mine forever!"

"Wait, you said we could both search for the cure," Eric protested.

"And you will be able to search—in my dungeons!" snarled Jareth.

"Eric—NO!" Sarah cried, trying to pull him back, but Eric and Jareth just faded away, leaving Sarah alone, again, on the hill.


	5. Chapter 5

_Hello everyone! It's been a long time, I know. Ever hear the phrase "it never rains but it pours?" Real life is in a monsoon season for me. _Anyway, I rewrote this chapter because I didn't have anything. I kinda feel like my muse is slacking off (she just had the workout of her life in NaNoWriMo). She feeds on reviews so please help bring her back to full health and maybe I'll have another chapter soon! Love ya!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"_From the hag and hungry goblin_ _that into rags would rend ye,_ a_nd the spirits that stand by the naked man_ _in the Book of Moons, defend ye!_" from the ballad Tom o' Bedlam

* * *

Sarah ran down the hill, angry tears burning her eyes. Eric had no right—NO RIGHT—to sacrifice himself like that. Stupid, stupid man! She'd loose him either way now—if she found the library—if she found the cure—she'd still be forced to leave the labyrinth without him. If she couldn't find the cure—which was likely, she would die or live forever in Jareth's power. If she magically found the cure that didn't exist, she'd live with the guilt that her freedom was bought with the life of the man she loved—Loved? Was that really how she felt about him?

No time to think about that now. She ran with all her might to the gates of the labyrinth. Hoggle was waiting for her.

"Where—" he started.

"Jareth took him," Sarah snapped.

"What? How? Why?" cried the dwarf in dismay.

"Eric traded himself for a chance to look in Jareth's library for a cure to the peach," she explained in a rush. "According to the deal, I have 13 hours to find the library and find the cure."

"At least I know where the library is," grumbled Hoggle. "Come on, we'd better hurry if we want to find anything in there."

"No," Sarah said firmly. "We're not going to the library."

"But—the cure—" he protested.

"Probably doesn't exist anyway. Jareth said as much," Sarah sighed, running her fingers through her dark hair. She was so frustrated. Why did that oaf of a boyfriend have to get involved? He'd ruined all her plans. Now, instead of being on the offensive and challenging the Goblin King, she was desperately trying to save Eric's cute surfing butt. "And I am not wasting what could be my last 13 hours on something that doesn't exist. We're getting Eric out of here."

"But without the cure—" Hoggle spluttered.

"I'm sunk either way, Hoggle, don't you see that?" Sarah cried, wiping the tears away with her sleeve before they could fall. "I refuse to let him get to Eric."

"You always were a stubborn thing," sighed the little man. "Alright. Let's go. I know a shortcut to the castle."

"What about Ludo and Sir Didymus?" Sarah asked.

"We'll meet them along the way. They're gathering your supporters. We figured there'd be a battle before all this was said and done, just like the last time." Hoggle explained as he limped through the gates. He took a right and went down the long passageway without hesitation.

"Supporters?" she repeated. "I have supporters?"

"Didn't you know?" he asked. "Ever since you beat the Labyrinth, there have been those who had the courage to stand up to Jareth and his wicked tricks. They call themselves Sarah's Soldiers."

"Why didn't anyone tell me?" she demanded.

"I suppose we never expected you to come back," he shrugged. He turned into the opening Sarah had taken and went left.

"Wait—we're not supposed to go that way," she protested.

"Waddaya mean? This way goes straight to the castle," he replied.

"You're kidding."

"It's not a place most residents want to go," Hoggle explained.

"Of course," Sarah sighed as she followed him left.

* * *

"Get in there, boy," snarled Jareth as he threw Eric into a goblin-sized cell. Barely 3 feet square and not even 4 feet tall, Eric was forced to scramble in on his knees in dirty hay speckled with squishy green mushrooms. Mossy eyeballs looked at him in surprise from the one brick wall. Iron bars mad up the other two walls, and a door of iron bars clanged closed behind him. Jareth gave him a superior smirk and turned to leave.

"Wait—What's going to happen next?" Eric called.

"Next? You're going to spend a long time in my dungeon" Jareth sniffed.

"You're not going to turn me into a goblin?" Eric persisted.

"No," Jareth sneered. "Transforming into a goblin takes a certain amount of elasticity—a quality only children seem to have."

"What about Sarah?" Eric demanded.

"What about her?"

"If she doesn't find the cure, what will happen to her?" he forced himself to ask.

"Why do you care? Either way, because of her, you'll be stuck in my dungeon for the rest of your miserable life," Jareth taunted.

"She's my girlfriend. I love her," Eric professed.

"Really?" Jareth asked with sarcastically exaggerated interest and a suggestive leer. "Does she love you back? Does she tell you all her deepest, darkest secrets? Did she tell you about _us_?"

Eric faltered for the first time. "I know what happened in the crystal ballroom, if that's what you mean."

Jareth pounced on the young man's insecurities. "Is that _all_ she told you?" he asked, his voice dripping with innuendo.

"Well, she didn't actually tell me. I read about it in her book," Eric admited softly, knowing he sounded like an idiot.

"I don't know what she could possibly see in you," Jareth mocked. "Do you really think she could care for a flimsy-spined boy like you? You are a fool to trust your heart to her." Laughing contemptuously, he turned to leave.

"You know, you look older than I imagined you," Eric shot back.

Jareth paused, growling under his breath.

"I mean, the way Sarah described you in her book, you sounded like Adonis himself in tighter pants," Eric continued. "Hansom, wickedly charming, all that big-bad-wolf stuff. But now that I see you in the flesh...honestly you look like a dirty old man. Do you wear that much makeup just to cover up the wrinkles? Because it isn't working."

Jareth snarled like an angry wolf. "Until you feel the weight of a fractured kingdom on your shoulders, boy, you'd do well to keep your aging comments to yourself."

Then he swept out of the dungeons, leaving Eric to contemplate his predicament.

Jareth kept himself composed until he reached the privacy of his study. Once the door was closed, he fairly danced with glee. Sarah was as good as his. Eric's little riddle had alarmed him at first, but then Jareth had only taken him to give Sarah a _chance_ to find the antidote in the library. Even if she did find it, she would have to be far colder than he remembered for her to leave Eric to rot in the Underground's dungeons.

He felt himself riding on the high of momentary insanity—he had never imprisoned a full grown human before—would never have thought about it _before_. He was desperate for Sarah, deep down in his soul, he knew he couldn't live without her. He didn't want to live without her. And if he couldn't have her, then he'd be thrice damned if some other unworthy git would steal her away.

He summoned a crystal with a flick of his fingers and found Sarah, confidently making her way thought the labyrinth. She was taking one step after another into his kingdom, and little did she know that there was no way out. She was so determined to beat him. She looked upset. Were those tears glittering in her eyes? She was so beautiful and passionate. Jareth caressed the crystal as if he could touch her soft cheek.

He paused in his voyeurism to check his reflection in the mirror. Much to his distaste, the boy was right—he was getting older. His blond hair had turned white in these last few years and he was thinner than before, although it was hard to notice. It was mainly in the hollowness of his cheeks and eyes. He knew on the inside he was completely empty. He was wasting away without Sarah. His need for her was elemental to his survival. To the survival of the Labyrinth.

"Run, Sarah, run to your heart's desire," he murmured. "And then run right into my arms."

* * *

Sarah followed Hoggle until they came to a old stone staircase leading under the Labyrinth. Hoggle limped down the crumbling steps and sat on the last one.

"Well?" Sarah asked. "Where to next?"

"I need a rest," he complained. "I ain't used to this sort of thing. Besides, Sir Didymus is just around the corner."

"My lady?" a familiar foxy voice called. The one eyed knight ventured from around a turn in the labyrinth

"Sir Didymus!" Sarah cried.

"I have assembled the troops and they are awaiting your orders," Sir Didymus reported, snapping to attention. "We have also gathered accoutrements to fit you."

"What-a-who-ta-ments?" Sarah babbled.

"Armor," grunted Ludo as he brought forward a large burlap bag.

"Why would I need armor?" she asked suspiciously.

"The Labyrinth has been...restless for some time, my lady," explained the foxy knight. "It is far more dangerous since you last ran it—many of us believe the king does not hold complete sway over it anymore. The goblins are on the brink of civil war, monsters are creeping up from the cracks of deep oubliettes, and the Bog of Eternal Stench has turned into the Lake of Suffering, for it not only stinks, but burns and boils."

"Sulfur pits," Sarah muttered, logically thinking back to her geology class. "That's why it stinks so much—natural gases leaking up from volcanic sulfur pits. And now they're getting hotter as the magma gets closer to the surface."

"You have come at a dark time, my lady," Sir Didymus continued softly. "Do not be surprised if you are hailed as a saviour by some or condemned as a she-devil by others."

"I just want to get my boyfriend out of here. After that, I'll worry about my reputation in the underground," she assured her friends.

"Then you had best dress for battle," Sir Didymous encouraged her.

Ludo set the bag down at her feet, and Sara drew out a tunic of fine chain-mail. She easily slipped it over her head. The hem nearly reached her knees, but it was very form fitting. And heavy. An ancient, blackened steel helmet was next, with bright silvery wings sweeping up and out from the nose piece. The wings looked suspiciously like owl wings, but Sarah was getting used to the theme as inevitable in the Underground. Then came the leather gloves and gauntlets, which also looked like silver wings over dark steel. Shin guards to match the gauntlets and a sword belt were also in the bag. At the bottom, Sarah found a steel short-sword, moonstones set in the pommel and hilt of the sword, the hilt matching the winged motif of the rest of her armor.

"This is awfully stylized to have just lying around," Sarah said suspiciously as she clipped the sword hilt to her belt.

"It's the Queen's traditional armor," Sir Didymous informed her imperiously, as if she should be proud to wear it.

Sarah froze. "The queen...did you say? I'm not accepting the throne or anything by wearing this...am I?"

"Nothing else is suitable for a warrior maiden such as yourself," he insisted before he strode off into the caverns to rally the troops.

The birds...the armor...it all pointed to one thing; the thing she didn't want to think about.

No, she was going to get Eric out. Then she'd pound Jareth into mush until he rescinded the spell. Maybe that was the catch—there was no antidote because the peach wasn't a poison. Maybe it was a spell and she needed the counter-spell or charm or to break a mirror or a crystal ball or something. Any way she sliced it, she was going to have an ugly confrontation with his majesty. She might as well be armed to the teeth for it.

She dressed quickly and then followed the way Sir Didymus had gone. As she rounded the corner, she was astonished to see more than 50 goblins, all arrayed for battle, waiting for her in loose formation.

"Atten—SHUN!" Sir Didymus barked, and all the solders stood up straight and tried to look professional. With a nod of approval, he turned to Sarah. "Lady Sarah, I present to you, your soldiers."

It was a motley group of all sizes and shapes, but they were all focusing their considerable attention on her. She felt compelled to make a speech.

"I'm not here to liberate anyone, or to get justice, or to right wrongs," she said honestly. "I'm here because that snake of a king pulled a nasty prank on me, and I'm not going to stand for it."

The goblins cheered so loudly it startled Sarah. She had been expecting them to give up on her cause. Maybe they were like the Irish, she thought; just itching for a fight no matter who started it. Still, it was very goblin-like thinking, to prank the prankster.

"Last time I was here, I remember a lot of cheesy music. I wish I could do that for you, but-"

No sooner had she accidentally wished than her iPod was in her hands. Suspiciously she scrolled through her list and found the song she'd come to associate with breaking away from the labyrinth. From the very stones in the walls, a sultry alto voice sang,

"_Sweet dreams are made of these...and who am I to disagree...I travel the world and the seven seas...everybody is lookin' for something..._"

"My iPod is wireless connected to the labyrinth. Rock on," she pumped her fist victoriously. So many strange things had happened in the last 2 weeks, she didn't feel compelled to question of it. She had learned on her last visit that nothing was what it seemed, and all of it defied explanation. A wish was a wish, and all her wishing powers were still intact.

With Annie Lennox crooning about use and abuse, Sarah continued, "I am going to march on the castle and come hell or high water, I am going to get my boyfriend back!" she crowed. The goblins whooped and hollered began moving towards the exit.

"Dismissed!" Sir Didymus barked belatedly. Sarah followed her soldiers. She wasn't sure yet what she'd do or what she'd say, but one way or another, she was going to break Jareth.

_Hold your head up..._sang Annie's voice from the walls. _Keep your head up..._

_

* * *

_The goblin dungeons were cold. Eric didn't really think they could get this cold in a land that didn't seem to have seasons or even hours for that matter. Then again, his knowledge of this magical land came from Sarah's book, and her adventure had only lasted a few hours and had never involved the official dungeons. He was getting hungry too. Somehow in the magical teleporting between outside the castle and the dungeons, his back back had disappeared. He would kill for an energy bar right about now. His stomach growled audibly.

"Mustn't eat the goblin fruit, deary," said a crackly voice. "Mustn't, oh no, we mustn't."

Curiously, Eric looked for the source of the voice, and saw an old crone, bent with age and the weight of the load on her back. It was one of the junk ladies who had tried to distract Sarah with material things. Except instead of random bits of trash on her back, she had things growing from a hunch made of cracked pots and planters bound together with frayed twine and gnarled roots. The growing things looked mostly like briars with pom-pom-like onion blossoms jutting out in between the thorns. But she also carried a weedy basket full of ripe yellow fruit.

Her cross-eyed gaze found Eric and pinned him to the spot. "Are you hungry, deary?"

"Yes," he replied truthfully before he could stop himself.

"Then you should eat, deary. Yes, you should eat," she crooned and shoved a peach through the bars.

"I'm not hungry for fruit," he said, trying to be polite.

"Eat!" shrieked the old woman. "Eat forbidden fruit, deary. You like that, doncha?Eat!"

"No, thank you," he said again, backing into the corner of his cell.

She reached for him with one stubby-fingered hand, but he was just out of reach of her dirty, claw-like nails. Disappointed, she grumbled, "You'll eat. They all eat. They mustn't eat but they do anyway. Always do. I make sure they do."

She ambled off, muttering to herself. Something in her ramblings reminded Eric of something he had read in high school, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what it was. What was it...

With nothing more to occupy himself, he worked to remember the rhyme.

"We mustn't eat the goblin fruit...for tis sure to make us toot—no," he huffed. He'd never been good at poetry. "for it feeds with foul root...no."

"Ello!" said a tiny voice. Eric looked down to see a small green worm. It had tufts of bright yellow fur on his head and tail, and a tiny blue scarf just below its peachy face.

"Ello to you too," he said. "You wouldn't know how to get out of the dungeon, would you?"

"I just crawl through the bars," the worm said. "But that won't do you much good, seeing as you're not a worm."

"You're right, it doesn't," he sighed.

"Are you trying to make up a poem?" the worm asked.

"I'm trying to remember a poem," he corrected. "And I'm not very good at it I'm afraid."

"Is it the one about the goblin market? Me mam made me learn it by hart before I crawled out of the wall," the worm replied, amiably. "Course, I took a left instead of a right, and ended up right here in the castle."

"So you know the blue worm in the wall?" Eric inquired curiously.

"That's me pa!" the worm said with a delighted smile. "Do you know him?"

"By reputation," explained Eric. "You said you know the poem about the goblin market?"

"As well as I know my own bristles," the worm assured him.

"Then what comes after '_we mustn't eat the goblin fruits?_'"

"Why nothing, of course. That's not part of the poem," said the worm. "But it's no surprise you're confused. We worms are the only ones with decent memories in the whole labyrinth. No, the lines you're thinking of go something like, _'We must not look at goblin men, we must not buy their fruits: Who knows upon what soil they fed their hungry thirsty roots?'_"

"So is the soil the key to the fruit's power?" Eric wondered out loud.

"How should I know? I'm just a worm," the worm said by way of apology.

Eric sighed. "Well, what about the rest of the poem? Is there anything useful?"

"Well, it is about a girl who ate goblin fruit," the worm said thoughtfully. "She wasted away and couldn't eat anything else."

"What happened to her?" Eric asked, his breath catching as hope fluttered in his stomach.

"Her friend saved her, of course," the worm replied. Then he recited the poem. Eric listened with rapt attention that any high school teacher would have envied as the worm told of poor Laura who ate goblin fruit and then her friend Lizzy who tried to buy the fruit but refused to eat it even when the goblins started abusing her and cramming the fruits on her face. Finally, Lizzy when home to her friend and said, "_Did you miss me?  
Come and kiss me. Never mind my bruises, Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices, Squeezed from goblin fruits for you, Goblin pulp and goblin dew. Eat me, drink me, love me; Laura, make much of me: For your sake I have braved the glen, And had to do with goblin merchant men._"

"That's IT!" Eric cried, triumphant. It fit—even with Sarah's original story. The power of the peach—the power of the Goblin King—was defeated by the willful denial of its temptation. The Goblin King had held no power over Sarah because she had refused his dreams. Now, all Eric had to do was refuse the peaches the way Lizzy had, and he would be Sarah's antidote. It couldn't be that easy...could it?

It was _something_, at least.

"Thank you so much for your help. I'd shake your hand, if you had one," Eric gushed gratefully.

"Heh, no problem," said the worm, obviously pleased with himself. "If you need any more poetic help, I'll be in the wall here."

"Thank you," Eric repeated and he leaned against the bars to contemplate his next move.


	6. Chapter 6

_To assuage your disappointment, I took my muse out behind the woodshed and beat another chapter out of her. Don't worry, she's fine. She finally gave up a few tidbits she'd been keeping from me. Nothing like a "Write Or Die" scenario to get the creative juices flowing. I apologize in advance for the cliffhanger-please don't lynch me._

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_That hobnailed goblin, the bob-tailed Hob, said,'It is time I began to rob'. _

_-Sitwell, Dame Edith Louisa_

* * *

Sarah marched at the head of her small army. The ground felt _right_ underneath her feet, as if she knew exactly where to go. She felt as if the Labyrinth was leading her towards her destiny. It was strange and creepy, but she was focused on Eric. Whatever fate the Labyrinth intended for her, she intended to rescue him first.

The Labyrinth, for all its mystery and nostalgia, was not looking good. As they passed through the garden maze, she saw that most of the bushes had died, their thorns turning brown and brittle, their leaves drifting away to leave the hedges hollow. Many of the rock walls were crumbling.

When she came to the twin knockers, both doors were gone. She could see now that deaf knocker's door lead down underneath the surface, but she took the other familiar doorway, the one that held the funny knocker with the ring in his mouth. Beyond, forest of the Firyes was like a haunted wood. Abandoned spiderwebs adorned the naked branches and brambles.

She saw movement out of the corner of her eye, but when she turned, nothing was there. She pressed on, through the forest and around the walled-off Bog of Eternal Stench (which she could smell over the wall now). It connected with the fateful wood where she had first eaten the peach. She jogged through his part of the Labyrinth, focusing on the city beyond.

Then she found the junk yard that ringed the goblin city, only there wasn't much junk anymore. It was a field of fissures and cracks in the earth, as if forces beneath the soil were vexed by something.

She felt something different, now. It was like an itch on the soul of her feet. She held up an arm and the goblins all stumbled to a halt, their eyes on her. She felt it then, the tremor in the ground. The dull roar came next as the cobbles of the Labyrinth buckled and heaved. A crack split open and gasses hissed free. The goblins all clung to one another in terror, but Sarah didn't move. She knew that they were as safe as they could get, far enough from any walls that could topple on them. Moving would just make them fall over. So she stood her ground, looking every inch a confidant commander.

The quake subsided, finally, and she lowered her hand. The goblins started whispering among themselves, but she ignored their chatter. So this is what Hoggle and Sir Didymus meant when they said the Labyrinth was restless. She gestured forward and they started walking again.

The aftershock hit without warning, and it was nearly as strong as the quake. Sarah accidentally stepped on one of the cracks made by the first quake and the earth beneath her feet gave way. She fell, deep into the fissure.

Instinctively she reached out around her, but there were no helping hands to catch her this time. Fortunately the fall wasn't far, maybe twenty feet, before she splashed into an underground pool. She sank to the bottom quickly in all her armor, and used the rocky surface to propel herself to the top to gasp in a breath of air. Treading water with all her might, it took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the dim light filtering through the crack above her. When they finally did, she saw a shelf of limestone not too far away and quickly paddled for it. Fortunately the world had stopped shaking by this point.

"My lady!" cried Sir Didymus in a genuine panic. "My lady—are you alive!"

"I'm fine!" she called back, her voice echoing in the chamber and giving her some idea as to its scope. "I fell into a pool, so I didn't break anything."

"We'll find a rope to pull you out!" he tried to reassure her. "Please be careful!"

"Don't worry," she called back. She looked around the large underground cave and marveled. Banded stalactites hung from the ceiling and stalagmites reached up as if to kiss their counterparts. Pillars and shelves of limestone carved by centuries or millennia of water were everywhere.

Something glinted back in the cave. She squinted to see what it could possibly be. It was bone white and violet blue. It sparkled and shimmered. It was there and then it wasn't. Curiosity became too much, and she glanced up at the crack to see how the goblins were fairing. They were in their usual disarray, so he certainly had a few minutes before a suitable rope was found and lowered into the cave. She got up and cautiously made her way over to the strange object.

It looked like a pearl, but it was huge—the exact size of one of Jareth's crystal balls. It sat in a hollow carved out of a stalagmite, untouched by the slow sculpting of the caverns around it. Sarah reached out and touched it. She jerked away and shook her hand vigorously; the stupid ball had given her a static shock—which really shouldn't have been possible in this wet environment.

She reached out again, and this time there was no shock, only a happy hum she could just barely feel. The orb had been waiting for her. She cradled it almost lovingly. It was like opalescent glass. She turned it one way, and then another, and to her surprise Eric drifted into view.

She gripped the ball tighter as she peered into its depths to look at her boyfriend. She saw him, sitting in the dungeon, talking to a worm who looked oddly familiar. At least he was ok. She had half expected Jareth to torture him. She hugged the ball, grateful for the tiny vision.

"I will save you," she whispered. "I promise."

"Lady Sarah!" shouted the knight, "We found you a rope. We're lowering it now."

"Be right there," she called back. She tucked the ball inside her shirt, where it settled on her stomach just above her belt. Not the most comfortable arrangement, but it would keep the ball safe until she got to the surface. Carefully making her way back, she watched as the rope was lowered down the crack and into the water. Taking a deep breath she slid into the water and swam hard against the weight of her armor to the lifeline.

One of her friends had thoughtfully tied a loop in the bottom and she put her foot in that. "Ready!" she yelled.

"All together now," she heard Sir Didymus command. "Heave! Ho! Heave!"

The rope became taught and then slowly, she started to inch up towards the crack. Water drained off her as she ascended but she knew she was going to be cold and wet when she got to the top. It was slow going, but Sarah didn't feel compelled to complain. Finally, she could reach the lip of the crack with her finger tips.

Ludo's huge hand wrapped around her arm and he bodily pulled her up and into a warm, furry embrace.

"Ludo scared," he moaned.

"Sarah squished," she replied, all her breath squeezed out of her lungs by the force of his bear hug. The orb dug into her middle, just below her floating ribs.

"Sorry," he rumbled happily, letting her go.

"It's alright," she replied. "I'm safe now, and that's what matters. Could someone get me a bag?" she called out, placing a protective hand on the orb in her shirt.

There was a stirring amid the goblin masses and a small leather bag with straps was produced.

"Thank you," she said to the goblin who held it up to her.

He giggled and rejoined his comrades. Sarah untucked her shirt carefully and the orb dropped into her hands. She quickly stowed it in the bag and tied that bag around her neck. It was bulky but it felt comforting, hanging just above her cleavage.

"To the castle!" she yelled. The goblins cheered behind her, and they started marching again.

* * *

Jareth had not taken his eyes off Sarah once. When he watched her dress in the Queen's traditional armor, he fairly purred with lust. She was every inch the queen he knew her to be. He had felt some embarrassment over the state of the Labyrinth, its decline from its former glory, but with his powers waning every day, he simply couldn't manage all the maintenance by himself. Then she fell into a fissure and his crystal went blank.

He shook it impatiently but it didn't clear up. His power was giving out. Maybe it was because Sarah was in the Underground, distracting him. Every fiber of his being reached for her, needed her. If he could just get her to grace him with a kind word—or maybe he could steal a kiss—he knew he would regain all his power and more.

She was getting closer now, almost at the gates. He rose to go to his throne room to greet her properly-

-and his knees gave out from under him. He collapsed to the floor with a curse. Damn this weakness in him. It had been steadily growing since the night she had demolished his Escher room and would attack without warning. He pulled himself to his feet using the desk in his study for support. He conjured a polished ebony cane with a raven's skull handle to hold him upright.

No sense in hobbling around here like an invalid, he told himself. He made his way cautiously and with dignity to the throne room, where he arranged himself casually on his throne to wait for Sarah.

After a few moments consideration of how best to welcome her, he decided to display his largest bargaining chip.

With a clap of his hands, he ordered, "Bring me the prisoner!"

Deep in the dungeons, the weed hag was tempting Eric with the fruit again.

"Come on deary," she crooned like a crow. "You know you're hungry. Just one bite—one little bite."

"Maybe later," Eric said cautiously. "If you left it between the bars of my cell, I could eat it in an hour or so."

"It won't be no good then," the hag warned. "Best have it now, while it's still sweet and fresh."

"No thank you," Eric declined politely, even as he calculated distances in his mind.

The hag's hand shot through the bars, and just as Eric had estimated, his arm was just within her reach. She grabbed his bicep with bruising strength and yanked him bodily to the bars, where she held the peach directly under his nose.

"One taste, deary," she cackled. "Just one little taste."

Eric pinched his lips together and shook his head.

"EAT!" she screamed, mashing the fruit against his face. "EAT! Eateateateateat!"

Eric felt the sticky juices explode against his skin and then start to burn as if the crone were smearing chili peppers instead of peaches on his face. He closed his eyes tightly, locked his jaw and held his breath. She tried pinching and prodding him through the bars and screaming in his face so that he could smell her rotten breath and feel the flecks of spittle hitting his cheek. The nails of one hand racked his throat and the peach juices dribbled down his jaw to burn in the scratches left there. Still, he refused to open his mouth.

"The king wants the prisoner!" barked a guard behind the hag. "NOW!"

Abruptly the hag left off trying to force-feed Eric the peach. She glared at him but backed away from the cell. The guard, a fearsome looking goblin with a dog's wet nose and an impressive curly mustache growing under it, growled at her while he unlocked the cell door. He grabbed Eric by the sruff of the neck and almost dragged him out of the cell and up the stairs to the throne room.

* * *

Sarah marched up to the gates of the goblin city. They still hadn't replaced the metal giant Hoggle had destroyed on her behalf. She looked up to the parapets above the gate. Several goblins cowered there.

"Open up!" she shouted to them, raising her sword in challenge and salute. The goblins on the wall whispered and twittered amongst themselves, and then the doors opened up.

The city beyond was in ruins—more so than the last time she was there. Nearly every roof had fallen away. Most of the houses were missing a wall. Dry and spidery roots were exposed in the deeply cracked streets. The golden cast of the city was now jaundiced yellow. The whole place smelled of death and decay.

Sarah gingerly walked through the city, trying not to notice how horrible the entire Underground had become since her last visit. The only beautiful thing she had seen since her arrival was the underground caves that had nearly swallowed her up. Following the familiar path, she marched up to the castle gates.

"Sarah," Hoggle called, hesitantly. She turned to look at him as he limped through the mass of goblin fighters behind her. When he caught up to her, he grabbed her hand and held it tight. "You know there's more to this than any of us have told you—more than any of us could tell you."

"I'm not in the mood for guessing games, Hoggle," she replied, peevishly, sounding more like the goblin king than she knew.

"The labyrinth is slowly breaking apart. You've seen the damage yourself. It started when you destroyed the Escher Room, and there ain't nothing any of us can do about it," he said bluntly. "You gotta fix it, Sarah. Now that you're here, you're the only one."

"Why me? Why now?" she demanded. "Why couldn't you tell me this before?"

"Would you have come?" the dwarf asked sadly.

"To save you—my friends—in a heart beat," she insisted.

Hoggle shook his head. "We're not the ones breaking."

"Wait a minute-" her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"You broke his heart, you broke the labyrinth," he sighed. "I hoped that as his grip cracked, so would his old on you—but the peach part of you—the part that was connected to this place—just broke along with everything else. The world don't need a wretch like him, and it can do without the likes of us. But it needs you, Sarah. That's why I kept sneaking you the peaches."

Sarah went perfectly still as she considered Hoggle's words. The underground was always full of layers and unexpected turns, but this was the worst yet. She had descended, looking to free herself, only to find herself even more trapped in Jareth's crystal web. If she left, Hoggle and Sir Didymous said the labyrinth would crumble into oblivion. But staying...fixing what she had broken...meant leaving behind everything in the world Above...including Eric.

How could she fix the Labyrinth if her own heart was broken?

"I don't know what you want me to do, Hoggle," she finally answered him softly. "All I know is that I have to get Eric out of here. If I'm going to be trapped in the Underground forever anyway, I'll try to do something but..." she didn't know what. Taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, she shouted, "Let's do this!"

She shoved open both ornately carved doors and charged in, her feet faultlessly finding the path that lead her to the Goblin King.

Jareth was waiting for her in the throne room, lounging like a panther on his throne. Two guards held Eric to one side, keeping him immobilized and on his knees. He looked the worse for ware, a set of angry red scratches on his throat, slowly darkening bruises on his face, and his clothes covered in dungeon scum.

"Sarah!" Eric cried out the moment he saw her. She flashed him a small smile, hoping it was reassuring, but didn't respond otherwise. She waited until all of her goblin supporters piled into the room before addressing his majesty.

"Let him go" she ordered, her voice ringing in the hushed room.

"Sarah, precious," Jareth crooned and sat up attentively in his throne. "I thought you'd never get here. Did you find my library? And your cure?"

"You know very well I didn't," she snapped. "Nor did I have any intention of falling into your stupid trap."

"Sarah, I'm the cure!" Eric shouted.

"Silence!" Jareth barked at the young man. "The lady and I have some old business to attend to."

"Let him go," Sarah repeated. "And then we can talk business."

"Would you trade yourself for him then?" Jareth cackled. "Seems as if I am getting the better end of that deal."

"There is no deal. I didn't even look for the library—and I know Eric didn't either, so you don't hold any power over him," she explained.

As if fueled by her words, Eric struggled against his guards and managed to knock one over. Springing to his feet, he punched the other and rushed to Sarah's side.

"I'm the cure," he insisted. "Kiss me, Sarah. Kiss away all this gunk on my face—I'd recite the poem but it might come out sounding wrong."

"What are you talking about?" she asked, her eyes searching his elated face for a clue to the riddle."

"Guards!" Jareth shouted.

Sarah easily drew her sword and pointed it at the two goblin guards who had stepped towards Eric. Placing her body between the king and her boyfriend, she asked again, "What is it?"

Eric blushed but leaned in close to her ear and murmured, "Kiss me, Sarah, _Never mind my bruises, Hug me, kiss me, suck my juices, Squeezed from goblin fruits for you, Goblin pulp and goblin dew."_

She was about to retort when she caught the sent of peach on his skin. It was faint, but very familiar. She leaned forward to kiss his sticky cheek.

"Sarah, don't!" Jareth interrupted them sharply. "Don't kiss him. It's a trick; that peach pulp will only poison you further."

"Eric wouldn't trick me," she replied, but she sounded uncertain.

"The poem was a trick," Jareth explained. "My predecessor used it to bait his own traps. There is no remedy—none that I know of. Precious, you have to believe me."

"Why should I?" she snapped. "Because you've been generous again?"

"I was the one who fed you the peach so you did not die on that mountain top when you realized Hoggle's betrayal," he crowed. "I did not remove the gifts I gave you when ran from the Labyrinth, although it was in my power. I let you meet with your friends whenever you chose without interference. I have given you more time and space than I can spare. Isn't that generous?"

"What do you mean '_more than you can spare_'?" she demanded suspiciously.

"Can you not see it all around you?" Jareth demanded, standing finally. He didn't lean heavily on his cane, but he would have wobbled without it. "Without you, this whole world is dying. I need you, Sarah. The Labyrinth needs you."

"Don't listen to that snake," Eric growled. He put both his hands on Sarah's shoulders to bring her attention back to him. "He doesn't want to loose you—but I'll be damned if I let him hurt you again! Just kiss me, break the curse, and then we can go home," he pleaded.

Sarah felt confused for the first time since she entered the Labyrinth. She put one hand to her heart, and found the small bag that held the dark orb. It felt warm, even through the protection of the leather. Curious, and grateful for a distraction, she pulled the orb out and looked deep into its opalescent depths.

"Where did you get that?" Jareth gasped. "Sarah, whatever you do, be very, _very_ careful with that—you hold in your hands the Heart of the Labyrinth."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

_There's a spark inside us_  
_That we can all ignite_  
_And all that's dark inside us_  
_Will flicker into light_

_-The Princess and the Goblin_

* * *

Sarah was confused and lost. She didn't know who to believe. Eric, who claimed to have found the cure to her peach addiction, or Jareth, who claimed that the cure would harm her. Jareth, who she could tell was dying for want of _something,_ or Eric, who would gladly die for her. She held the dark, opalescent orb close to her heart and took a step back away from both men vieing for her favor.

She felt like the sphere was living and breathing, so fragile and yet clinging to life stubbornly, like a kitten too young to be taken from it's mother. She wanted to shelter it, but it was the Heart of the Labyrinth—if Jareth was to be believed—and would be by nature mischievous and deceptive. Hoggle had said she had broken Jareth's heart and thus the Labyrinth—but this little orb seemed whole. Jareth said the Labyrinth needed her, but why her?

"Sarah," Eric called to her softly. "Come home with me. We can leave here and live normal lives. With the peach's hold over you broken, you can pursue wildlife studies in ways you never imagined before—we can travel the world together."

"Sarah," Jareth interjected, his voice rough with desperation. "Don't...don't leave me again. It...would kill me."

"Love is a battle field," she muttered to herself, feeling that those words were more true than ever before.

"Heartache to heartache," Eric muttered.

Mysteriously, the iPod in her pocket started playing that exact song right then. The familiar 80's rhythms and melodies resounded from the palace walls as if the stones were merely plaster molds on a movie set and the band was behind them. Sarah, so used to the eccentricities of all things Labyrinthine, started to sing along with the lyrics. She lifted her head, and pegged Jareth with her intense green gaze.

"_You're making me to go, you're begging me stay-Why do you hurt me so bad_?" she demanded in a singsong voice. "_It would help me to know-Do I stand in your way, or am I the best thing you've had? Believe me, believe me, I can't tell you why, But I'm trapped by your love, and I'm chained to your side._"

"Be my queen," Jareth begged. "Save your friends. Save the labyrinth. Save me."

Sarah turned and this time she looked deeply into Eric's warm, comforting brown eyes.

"_And if I'm losing control will you turn me away or touch me deep inside_?" she demanded in time to the music. "_And before this gets old, will it still feel the same? There's no way this could die-But if we get much closer, I could lose control, and if your heart surrenders, you'll need me to hold._"

"I love you," Eric declared boldly. "I always have. And I'll always be there for you."

"_No promises, no demands,_" she continued, her tone turning sarcastic. "_Love is a battlefield._" She looked down at the Heart of the Labryrinth.

"I can't live without you!" Jareth cried, taking a step towards her. His knee buckled and he caught himself with the cain. He suddenly looked very, very old as his mismatched eyes looked up at her pleadingly through his shaggy, silvery bangs.

Something clicked in Sarah's mind. "That's not what you said last time," she replied. "Last time, you said you could not live within me. Why?"

Jareth bowed his head and sank to his knees, but stayed silent. He looked so pitiful, so beaten and empty that Sarah felt a pang in her heart and felt an answering throb of warmth from the dark Heart in her hands.

"Without me. Within me...Jareth...how do you live?" she demanded.

Jareth covered his face with his hands, but she had seen the tears splashing on the stone floor of the court room. She was putting all the pieces together—she always had been extreemly clever, but now it was exposing his vulnerabilities, and he didn't have the strength to resist or deny the truth.

"You...can't live without someone to live within..." she concluded. "You can't live within someone you can't live without...because..."

Because Jareth wasn't just an arrogant bastard. He was a parasite. He fed on love and passion and imagination—things the world was sorely lacking in. Magic was dying from the world Above. Thus, magic was dying from the world Below. No one wished away children to the goblin kingdom anymore. Instead they gave them to Child Services. No one told bedtime stories anymore. Instead, they read books, stories canned from someone else's imagination. Tired old ghost stories around camp fires had replaced the lively tales of the Seelie and Unseelie courts by the toasty hearth. It was ALL fading away. The world Below needed a new infusion of life from the world Above, or it would waste away and turn to a desert.

She looked at the heart in her hands. It was dark, like obsidian. Even the little bits of light were fading before her eyes. It was supposed to be bright—crystalline—full of prisms and light and color. She knew it as surely as she knew her own heart ached for this dying world of ancient imaginings.

Jareth had been right: Eric didn't hold the cure because she wasn't addicted to the peach—_**the peach was addicted to her!**_ The Labyrinth had been feeding off Sarah's stories and pretend games—off the stories and pretend games of most children, she suspected—but it had been wasting away from malnutrition because the grown-ups weren't participating. An adult had even more influence because their belief—when it was solid—was more powerful than the blind faith of a hundred children. Sarah was one of the last few adults that believed in her childhood dreams. That was why the Labyrinth needed her.

Jareth really did love her. That also was suddenly clear to her. He had loved her since before she had set foot in the Labyrinth.

Eric loved her too. With a love so pure and full of hope—exactly what the Heart of the Labyrinth should have been like.

Two men. One solution.

"Eric?" Sarah croaked, her voice wobbling.

"I'm here, Sarah," he replied, stepping toward her, his arms outstretched to embrace her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. She wanted his arms wrapped around her, but her guilt rooted her to the spot. "I'm so, so, SO sorry."

"Why? What's wrong?" he asked, concern etched in his face.

"I have to stay. If I don't, everyone will die," she pronounced. The goblins in the courtroom, who had been reverently silent until now, gasped at the confirmation of their worst fears.

"You don't know that for sure," Eric protested.

"I do-" she said, her voice cut off by a sob. She knew what needed to happen. What had happened before when the world changed beyond recognition. It broke her heart in ways she had never imagined, but it had to happen or everyone was doomed, Above and Below. "I know it deep in my heart. And worse, I know that you have to stay too."

"I'd follow you to the ends of the earth, Sarah," he declared. "You know that."

She shook her head. "It's not like that. I wish it were. You're the Seventh Son of a Seventh Son. You are the only one with enough of the Old World power to...to surive this." She felt tears pouring down her face now. She looked at Jareth, his shoulders still shaking with the force of his weeping. He was in so much pain, so empty. And she couldn't let it go on. Something deep and unexamined in her heart just wouldn't let her.

"Survive what, Sarah?" Eric demanded.

Sarah held up the Heart of the Labyrinth. "This."

Then she brought the Heart close to her lips and whispered one last wish.

_"I wish Jareth lived within Eric."_

Both men erupted with blinding light. Beams of pure energy shot from every limb, every joint, every wrinkle in their skin. She could hear crystal shattering, felt the castle stones beneath her tremble. Goblin's screamed with pain and covered their eyes. Sarah closed her eyes but could feel the light burning through her eyelids. She numbly held up the Heart of the Labyrinth to absorb as much light as possible. The light obliterated the forms of both men for what seemed like an eternity.

When the light abruptly stopped, Sarah's world was dark. She couldn't see anything, could barely hear the shuffling and moaning of goblins. She felt like her entire body was covered with pins and needles. She was so light headed she had to take it on faith that gravity still worked.

Minutes dragged by, and slowly her eyes adjusted to the dim light of the Palace. Relief flooded her as she recognized the outlines of her friends and other familiar goblins. She looked around with straining eyes for Eric and Jareth, unsure of what she'd find.

One man was curled in the center of the courtroom, his hair wild, his body well toned and completely naked. Sarah crawled over to him and hesitantly touched his shoulder.

He groaned.

"Eric?" she asked hopefully, then, "Jareth?"

"Sarah?" said a voice that was unfamiliar and yet more intimate than any voice she had ever heard. "Sarah...what was...that?"

"Who are you?" she demanded.

"I'm...Someone..." the man replied.

"Are you Eric or Jareth?" she persisted impatiently.

There was a long pause before the man finally answered. "Both."

The man looked up at her, one eye cold, cruel, familiar blue, the other warm, soft, puppy-dog brown. Sarah sighed, but even she didn't know if it was with relief or regret. Her wish had come true. The essence of the Goblin King now resided in a new body, a combination of the old and new.

The man felt himself, exploring his new physique. Sarah's eyes followed his hands. He was an odd combination of Eric and Jareth—muscular but lean. His skin was lighter than Eric's surfer tan, but darker than Jareth's sun-forsaken white. Even his hair was darker gold, but the tips were frosted platinum blond. The face was a unique union as well. The corners of the mouth looked like a smile was tugging at them just below the surface. The eyebrows weren't as extreme as before, but somehow just as sinister. His jaw was wider than Jareth's. The nose straight but the end just barely turned up, reminicient of the way Eric's used to.

"Like what you see?" the man asked teasingly, indicating his nude body. Sarah turned away with a blush.

"Can we get a cloak or something?" she shouted to the goblins. Instantly, they scrambled to obey. Soon, three goblins returned with three "somethings": a black scarf, a silver handkerchief, and a purple silk bathrobe. The man's eyebrows rose at the sight of the robe, but he donned it anyway. With his nudity covered, he stood.

He had the same regal tilt of his head that Jareth had, but his shoulders were more relaxed like Eric's. He turned his mismatched gaze to Sarah and bowed low to her.

"Sarah, my queen," he murmured. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart. From the bottom of the Labyrinth's heart."

Sarah looked down at the Heart of the Labyrinth still cradled in her hands. It was glowing faintly now, and little prism-like bubbles swirled under the crystal exterior like tiny rainbow minnows. It felt happier and healthier, like a fully sated tiger purring in her palm. Two fat tears fell from her eyes onto the crystal, causing tiny little lights to flair and dance around each drop.

The man took a step forward, his face etched with concern. "Sarah, why do you cry?"

She shook her head in denial and tears splattered in all directions. Both of them were gone now. This new person was so much like them and yet not like them at all. She'd lost both of them. How could she be expected to love this new monstrosity of her own creation?

The man wrapped her up in strong arms, ignoring her small protests. He hugged her close and she openly wept on his shoulder.

"Why do you cry?" he asked again softly.

"They're gone," she sobbed. "I loved them both and they're gone."

"They're right here," he insisted. "I'm not going to refer to myself in the plural, but I do have all of Jareth's memories along side all of Eric's. They are here, as one. And I love you deeply with their combined love."

"I don't even know you," she whimpered. "Do you even have a name? Ereth or Jeric?"

"We can worry about semantics later," he replied. "Come. Come with me now and let me show you what you have done."

"I've seen enough, already," she snapped, turning her face away.

The man shook his head and smiled. "You haven't seen anything yet."

He gently pulled on her arm and lead her into a corridor. Sarah didn't have the energy to resist. She was physically and emotionally drained, so she just stumbled along, still clutching the Heart of the Labyrinth close to her heart.

He lead her up a spiraling staircase to the parapets.

"Look, Sarah. Look at the Labyrinth," the nameless king gestured around them.

Sarah took a moment to break away from his touch and lean on the solid rock of the ledge. Before her very eyes, light spread out through the labyrinth. The dead hedge maze was newly green—more vibrant than before even—filled with thorny Jasmine plants that filled the air with their perfume. The Firey Forest looked almost as if it had been carved out of the Amazon. The ruinous walls rippled and change, some of them breaking down, some rising up, some shifting hues from blinding white to mysterious black. Spires of raw crystals in every shade imaginable reached towards the sky throughout the labyrinth. The Bog of Eternal Stench cleared before her eyes, the center of the bog turning sapphire blue and a cascade of color rings around it, so that it looked like a rainbow pool. The outer edges were rusty red and the trees took on that hue. And of course it still smelled strongly of sulfur. And there, on the hills beyond the outer walls, thorny green vines and brilliant orange lilies sprouted wildly.

"It's...so beautiful," she whispered.

"It's your fantasies that have changed it so," he replied. "Everything is living again. It has been dying for the last 20 years."

"But I only broke Jareth's heart 5 years ago!" she protested. Then she blushed. Of course this mysterious combination of men would know the exact moment she had broken the old goblin king's heat.

"He loved you when you were only a few months old," he informed her.

"That's taking pedophilia to an extreme, don't you think?" she tried to joke, but her voice sounded harsh and hollow to her own ears.

"You know the red book of the Labyrinth was your mothers," he said softly.

"That has nothing-" she started to retort, but it died in her throat. He watched as her mind put more pieces of the puzzle together. "My mother...wished me away to the goblins?"

He nodded.

"But...she won me back, right? I mean, I grew up with my dad and my step-mom. So my mother _must_ have beat the Labyrinth."

He shook his head.

"But then...how?"

"_He_ sent you back so you could grow up as a normal girl," the man replied. "Although I think you would have made an adorable goblin, he loved you too much to turn you. And considering how radiant a young woman you came to be, I have to say he did the right thing."

"So...the Labyrinth had a claim on me...pretty much my whole life," she concluded. "I was always a citizen...a prisoner."

"The Labyrinth loves you too, Sarah," he insisted. "That's why it reshapes itself with your dreams in mind. I would have made half of it beach-front property, with gnarly waves for daily surfing."

"That's my Eric," she whispered, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth even as her eyes sparkled with new tears.

"But you bring so many elements of the earth to the mix. All the pieces of the world you love mixed with the pieces you imagined to take shape crystals are yours. The sulfur hot-spring like the one in Yellowstone that you've admired pictures of. The rain forests of South America. The Jasmine. The lilies and briers outside the gate were a particularly nice allegorical touch." He nodded his appreciation.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"You're the lily amid the thorns. I would be the thorns," he smiled wolfishly, Jareth-ly.

"So then am I stuck here for the rest of my life, King Brier?" she asked, trying to put defensive sarcasm in her voice, but only managing weariness.

"Not at all, precious," he protested, coming up behind her to wrap his arms around her waist. "You are a powerful emissary, one that the Underground needs to continue surviving. The Labyrinth needs you to inspire belief and imagination Above, and bring hope Below."

"You mean more children," she accused.

"I can think of many worse fates for babes in third-world countries, doomed to starvation, rampant disease, forced prostitution-"

"Alright, I get it already!" she snapped. She tried to pull herself out of his arms, but it didn't work. His grip on her was too tight...as if he never wanted to let her go.

"And there are still creatures in the Above that need a home Below," he continued. "The Loch Ness Monster. Sasquatch. The Yettie. Moorish elves. Dragons and Unicorns also roam the world above in ever-dwindling numbers. A few have escaped to other worlds, many have died, and the remnants grow weary."

"How do you know," she wondered out loud.

"I can hear them crying out," he whispered in her ear. "I feel their pain and sorrow. It is part of the burden of Goblin King, to always have one ear in the Human World. I don't just hear the wishes. I hear the mourning as well. That's why you need to go back and guide them here."

"And you think I'm just going to be your Underground Zoo curator?" she asked. The idea of lonely magical creatures, desperately wanting a home, tugged at her heart. She wanted to explore the world, looking for new and strange things. But at what price would be this dream job?

"That's part of the job description of Queen," he said. He turned her to him and looked deep into her burning green eyes. He held out a closed fist. Slowly, his fingers uncurled, revealing a smoky diamond ring. Or maybe it wasn't diamond. It didn't just glitter in the light—it was almost alive! Grays and whites, greens and blues twisted and twirled inside the solitaire. "Sarah, precious, will you marry me and be my queen?"

* * *

_I need inspiration! I don't even know what to name my new creation-and I know you all want to kill me for mangling our beloved Goblin King, but I really wanted to do something different. So, any suggestions you have would be AWESOME! Either review or send me a more personalized message. 3 you all!_


End file.
